Star Fox: The Dead Planet
by Emile The Watcher
Summary: A Mysterious Planet long thought destroyed has reappeared on the edge of the Lylat System, when the first recon team sent out to investigate the planet vanishes, the new General, Peppy Hare twists some arms to get Star Fox back in the air, unfortunately, the two star pilots are now racers, and they'll need the help of a bounty hunter, one named Kursed.
1. Their Lives Now

_**Well, Hello all, now if you read the ReArmed Conflict, you know that I said I was going to focus on other stories. That would still be the case, except for the fact then when I did my oneshots for the year, I head one of the better writers on here say he liked the idea behind them {Kursed/Fox} and would love to see an extended story from me with the same idea, instead of a one shot. Well two days later, I found that it was all I could think about, so I started writing. I've just kinda taken off with the idea, and well, here we have it. Now before I let you all get into it, just some information for you.**_

_**This takes place ten years after the end of Star Fox Assault, and I've taken a few of the endings of Command and combined them to make my own spin on things. Hope you all enjoy. Oh, and a happy freaking New Year!**_

_**Oh and fun Fact, I think the part on Fichina has a theme song, Rebel by D-Block & S-Te-Fan. I just seemed to get most of my ideas for that bit while listening to the song, and in the end, I figured it just kinda fit.  
**_

_**One last thing, this chapter is long, but its because I'm setting up **__**the bulk of the story.  
**_

_****__**1-02-12 Edit below**_

* * *

_Star Fox: _**The Dead Planet**

_Story by: _**Emile The Watcher**

_Inspired By: _**Cpt. Fox  
**

_Disclaimer: _**Yep, I don't own Star Fox, no matter how much I wish I did, this is just my idea, and I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

_Act 1:_ **The** **Dead Planet **Chapter_ 1_: **Their Lives Now.**

* * *

"_Husky Squad, Report in."_

Bill Grey looked around his cockpit to check his surroundings one last time before he keyed his comm. "Husky Lead, Whats up Control?"

"_Our scans show that you should be in visual range of the object now."_

Bill rolled his eyes before he answered "Its a planet Control, no matter that it just appeared a few days ago."

Bill grinned as he heard the annoyance in the operators voice. _"Fine then Lead, the_ Planet _should be in visual range. Report please."_

Bill turned his view back to space, where the planet they had been sent to investigate sat in his view finder. At their current range the sphere wasn't any bigger then his paw. Bill held one of his paws up just to compare sizes and smiled when he realized he was right. He touched one of his paws to the view finder and magnified the scope of the zoom, bringing the planet into larger focus. He touched another part of his screen and his on board computer loaded a scanner probe into his launch tube.

"_Husky Lead?"_

Bill jumped slightly in his seat. "Yea, sorry Control, just drifting out here, end of a long shift. First looks show lots of trees, defiantly looks like a jungle planet. Looks like its got a bunch of small asteroids caught in orbit around it as well. Permission to launch probe for detailed scan?"

"_Permission granted Lead, Fire away, we're all curious over here too. I've heard that we even got the General on a direct link now."_

"General Peppy eh?" Bill said out loud, to himself he admitted that he was glad the Peppy was being briefed on this. In truth the whole thing worried him. How in the hell did a planet even just appear like this one did. This whole day had just been one strange bit of news after the other. But then again, in his view, ever since Star Fox had disbanded eight years ago, the system had gone to shit.

Bill fingered the trigger for his launch tube and pressed the button, he watched as the tube on his right wing briefly flared into life and the probe launched out towards the planet. As the probe worked its way out Bill spared a few moments of thought to his old friend, and wonder what he had been up to since Bill had gotten moved to the Outer Ring Patrol. It had been almost seven years since he had been moved out here. Bill cheered himself up by remembering that he only had a few months left on this patrol. Then he could get shifted back home to Katina, and from there it was just a quick flight to Corneria. First thing he would do is track down Fox and have a beer with him, just for old time sakes.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when his console beeped to alert him that the probe had reached scanner range and had begun its scan of the planet. Bill pressed another button and forwarded the information to Control. "Are you getting the feed Control?"

"_Roger that Lead, receiving results now._" There was a pause while the operator looked over the results. _"Wow, that's a big planet, bigger then Corneria at least, humid too, scan shows clearings where there might be towns but most of the planet appears to be covered in jungle, there are a few oceans and what looks like scrubs of desert at the poles instead of ice caps. Quite a few of those asteroids0 too, going to be interesting to try and navigate that." _another paused _"Tell ya what, this is an odd planet, I'm comparing the scans to older records to see if we get a match. Who knows maybe somehow we've come across this planet before."_

"Roger that Control. Got any orders for us while you do the compare?"

"_One moment Lead." _Bill shrugged his shoulders to loosen the muscle while he waited for orders. When the Operator came back on line, his voice was more subdued. _"Lead, I've got your orders, stand by."_

Before Bill could puzzle that out another voice came out of his comm. _"Husky Lead, this is General Peppy, I was just reviewing the date from the probe when we lost contact with it. Assumed destroyed. I want you to move in and investigate, but keep your weapons primed and be on alert. _Something_ destroyed that probe."_

Bill looked out into space where his wing-mates flew "Roger that General, We'll check it out, stand by."

Bill swapped comm channels to his wing-mates "Husky Squad, We've been ordered to check out the planet. Something destroyed the probe I sent out, so I want all ships on alert and weapons powered up, double check your shields and check in when ready."

"_Husky Two, Ready."_

"_Husky Three, Ready."_

"_Husky Four, Ready."_

"_Husky Six, Ready."_

"_Husky Seven, Ready."_

Bill frowned "Husky Five, status?"

"_Husky Five here, sorry Lead, having some issues with my shielding systems."_

Bill put his paws out on his control sticks "Well get them worked out Five, we're moving in."

"_Looks like its fixed Lead, shields are back to full."_

Bill nodded as he adjusted his output and moved forward in space, leading his flight towards the planet. "Keep an eye on it Five, let me know if anything changes."

"_Roger that Lead."_

Bill turned his attention to the planet as he followed his own advice and double checked his shielding and weapon systems. They moved towards the planet at a decent speed and Bill watched as the planet rapidly grew bigger in his canopy. Things were normal until they approached the atmosphere.

"_Lead, my shielding just dropped."_

Bill looked down to see his own shields rapidly draining. "Heads up Husky, something, somehow is draining our shields. Keep an eye out." Bill scanned his canopy before checking his scanner to see if he was missing anything. He didn't see any enemies. However...

"Husky Five, get back in formation."

There was no answer from Husky Five who fell back and dropped down into position behind Seven.

"Husky Five, get back into position. Now."

The next voice was from Husky Seven. _"Five what are you doing, scanners show a lock on me."_

Bill acted first "Seven, Get out of there, now!"

Husky Seven started to dodge away from the ship, but before he could, two dark green lances of energy shot and scythed into the ship, right as his shields collapsed. The deadly energy quickly ate into the ships hull and reached the engine, causing it to explode. Before Seven could even think about ejecting from his ship, he was atomized in the explosion.

Bill grabbed his flight sticks and pulled hard on the left stick, adjusting his thrusters as he did so, spinning his fighter around. "Five what are you doing?!"

Five still didn't respond as he quickly shot down Four, Six and Two. Just leaving Bill and Three left. "Typhon, we have to take him out, now!"

"_But sir!"_

"Now!" Bill lined up a shot on Five and pulled the trigger on his stick, sending his own deadly light dancing through the space between them. Five saw him coming though and barrel-rolled to the right, avoiding the beams. As Bill lined up another shot he watched a missile carrying a smart bomb launch from under one of Fives wings, heading straight for Typhon. "Smart Bomb on your tail Typhon, boost!"

Bill watched as Typhon boosted forward, dodging through space as he tried to shake the lock. The missile stayed with him though and Bill lined up a shot on it. "Typhon, its a risk, but fly straight, I'm going to try and take it out."

"_Roger that Lead."_

Typhon straightened his flight path and the missile started catching up, closing the distance fast. _"Lead..."_ Typhon sounded nervous _"Any time now Lead!"_

Bill lined up the shot on the missile and pulled the triggers, sending out two beams of energy that hit the missile and caused the signature star shaped explosion. For a second Bill was afraid he wasn't quick enough to save Typhon when he saw his Cornerian fighter head towards the planet, smoke trailing out of his engines.

"Typhon!"

Static erupted out of Bills comm as he turned his fighter towards Typhon's, but before he could catch up, Husky Five flew in front of him and set his sights on the crippled fighter. Bill thumbed a switch on the side of control stick before murmuring. "Sorry Five." He pulled the trigger, and felt his craft shake slightly as a smart bomb missile raced after Five. Before the apparent traitor could react, the missile slammed into the back of his craft and space lit up in front of Bill as he flew through shock waves of the explosion, chasing after his crippled wing-mate.

He keyed his comm as he chased after the fighter "This is Husky Lead! Control, something went wrong with Five, he turned traitor and attacked us, downing all but me and Husky Three, Something drained our shields when we got close to the planet. Husky Three was shot down, I'm going after him."

All that came out of Bills comm was static, and he frowned, he hoped his message got through. "Hang "on Typhon" he said as he coaxed a little more speed out of his fighter and chased after the crippled ship.

* * *

-_Outer Ring Station 005_, **Control Room**-

* * *

"Husky Lead." The Rabbit sitting at the control room computer held his breath as he waited for a reply. He glanced over his shoulder where General Peppy sat watching from a holographic feed. "Husky Lead, Come in."

Peppy was rubbing his chin, fingering the little tuft of hair that had grown off his chin in the last few years. "Still nothing?" he asked softly

The Rabbit shook his head. "No sir."

Peppy was quiet for a moment more. "Troubling. Did we get a match off our scans?"

The Rabbit opened another window on his display, tapping through the results. When he found the screen he was looking for he was silent as he read the results. "Well solider?" He jumped slightly "Sorry sir, its just, according to records, the plant is Cerinia."

Peppy was silent for a moment. "That planet vanished almost twenty years ago. Are you sure its Cerinia?"

The Rabbit double checked the scan. "According to the computer, its a one hundred percent match for Cerinia. Planet vanished seventeen years ago, only one known survivor-"

Peppy nodded "Thank you solider, that will be all for now. Keep the patrols up for now and make a cordon around the planet. I'll work up a plan of action over the next few days."

The Rabbit couldn't help but voice his thoughts. "What about the pilots?"

Peppy sighed, he had liked Bill. "Assumed KIA."

The Rabbit slumped over his console a little bit "Very well sir."

Peppy paused before he closed the connection. "We'll find them solider, I'm going to call in a special squad for this one though. We're not going to risk any more lives that we have to here."

* * *

-_Fichina, Fichina Space Port, Dark Ice Bar_, **Two Weeks Later**-

* * *

When the hooded figured walked in, nobody really cared. After all this bar wasn't the most open bar out there. It had a good reputation for being an excellent place to hire bounty hunters and mercenaries of all sorts. The figured stopped as they walked a few steps in and looked around.

If the owner was going for the grungy look of the bar, he was succeeding marvelously. At least half the lights were broken, The tables looked like they hadn't seen a good wash in a few years, most of the glasses were brown from stains and the overall effect of the bar was just extremely run down. After a brief examination the figure moved to the bar and took a seat at the counter. When the Bartender, a gruff looking swine with a broken tusk sticking out of one corner of his mouth, walked up the figure just waved him away.

The bartender grumbled as he walked away and left the figure to sit at the bar. Which he did, for a while. In fact the figure didn't move at all, at least not until somebody shouted across the bar. "Hey, Bark, change the channel will ya, there a race on tonight!"

Bark grumbled a bit more but went over to the TV and changed the channel until the race showed up. The figured canted his head to look at the screen before standing up and walking over to Bark. He learned down and whispered into his ear.

Bark frowned before leaning back and laughing. "You don't like whats on, you can piss off pal." Bark kept laughing until a blur furred hand reached out from under the cloak and wrapped it in the loose clothe of Barks shirt. He pulled him forward and as he did so, his hood fell back revealing a vixen with purple hair and blue fur that ran down her shoulder in a long pony tail that vanished underneath her cloak, along the left side of her muzzle ran a neat little read scar that started just below her left eye and ran to her lip "I said: Turn. It. Off."

The Vixen looked at her shoulder as a big meaty hand landed on it. "Hey Girly, I suggest you take your hand off my buddy there. Before you get hurt, permanent like."

The Vixen snarled at the hand as she looked at the grubby pig who was holding her shoulder. He looked like a fry cook of some sort, dressed in jeans and loose white shirt that was stained and wrinkled. His skin was a sickly brown color, and he looked to be missing a few of his teeth.

"Take your hand off me, now. I only warn once."

The swine grinned and tightened his grip. Later after the authorities checked the security cameras, they could tell what happened.

In a quick movement, the Vixen shrugged her shoulder loose from the swines grip, throwing an elbow back into his stomach, and when he was bent over gasping for breath, she stepped around him and drove a punishing fist into his side, the crack of bone was audible even on the low quality security recording. The swine stumbled away from the Vixen but she followed him, chopping him in the throat with the side of her hand. She ended her attack with a vicious round house kicked that laid the swine out side ways on the floor.

In the silence that followed, the Vixen cracked her neck then walked over to the bar, where she reached under her cloak and pulled out a staff, extending it so that it broke the screen of the TV. She then walked over to Bark. "Next time I ask you to change the channel, change the damn channel."

Bark obviously was scared, but he managed to ask. "Who the hell are you?"

The Vixen reached for her hood, pulling it back over her face. "Kursed." She then sat down at the bar and continued to stare at the wall in front of her. Some time later a small squad of Fichina Officials walked into the bar. They walked over to the Bark who at this point was staying as far away from Kursed as possible. As they talked she noticed Bark relaxing, before he openly pointed to her, then to his TV. Kursed took that as her sign to leave, heading for the door. Before she got halfway there though she heard a shout.

"Freeze Kursed!"

Kursed stopped where she was and slowly raised her hands to lower her hood. She glanced around at the Security Officers, who were slowly surrounding her. Kursed narrowed her eyes as she noticed that each one held the latest military blaster tech in their hands. The Space Port Authority here at Fichina barely had enough money to arm their security officers with old tech, and they sure as hell couldn't afford the latest in military hardware.

"Hands up Kursed, keep em where we can see them. Your coming with us."

Kursed raised her hands, grabbing her staff as she did. "You and what army?" She asked as she ran her thumb along the side, activating the build up of energy, the collapsed staff slowly glowed red as it built up the energy.

"Whats that in your hand Kursed?! Put it down, slowly."

Kursed grinned as the collapsed staff vibrated in her hand, signaling that it was ready. "What ever you say officers." She said, before she crouched down, extending the staff as the red energy discharged into the ground, shaking the very bar and uprooting the loose floorboards and toppling the tables. All the security forces lost their footing, and Kursed noticed with amusement as Bark collapsed he smacked his forehead into the side of the bar.

Kursed stood up and ran for the door, using her staff to knock out two of the officers that had recovered slightly faster then the rest. She reached the door and stepped through with a grin on her face. Only to have it slide off as she was blinded by spot lights and heard shouts to surrender.

Kursed put a hand over her eyes to blot out some of the light and muttered to herself as she managed to get a look at the force outside. "Oh, that army." she frowned as she noticed the large amount of rifles trained on her. She noted with some satisfaction that here was the signs of the poorly funded security crew, as many of them were carrying the old illegal slug weapon instead of energy ones.

Kursed looked down at her staff and ran another of her fingers along the side of the staff, the tip glowing red. Just as she started to hear whispers of what she might be up to, Kursed released several plasma bursts into the frozen ground, creating a giant cloud of steam that rose up to surround Kursed. who ducked down an alley way as the officers opened fire into the steam cloud. She grinned as she grabbed a ladder and climbed to the roof of a near by building. As she swung her body over the edge of the building she noticed that there happened to be quite a few officers out looking for her. Including quite a few snipers that were standing around on various roof tops.

Kursed sighed as she worked her way back to the space port, dropping down into alleyways when she had to to avoid the snipers. After a four hour round about trek through the city, in which she thought about what might warrant such a huge amount of force after her. Kursed finally made it to the Fichina Space Port, and her ship, the _Cloud Runner II. _Kursed smiled as she patted the hull of the large ship. While her personal fighter had been great, at one point she had needed an upgrade, just to be able to carry all of her stuff with her. The _Cloud Runner II_ boasted a much more powerful set of blasters, extra torpedo tubes, just as powerful shields and a small lock up for that rare contract that required the target to be brought in alive.

She had kept the basic design of the ship the same, but she had expanded the body, giving more room inside for her to have a personal cabin, lock up and a small armory. Yet the ship was still small enough to fit in most single fighter storage bays at space ports. She had changed the color scheme of the ship so instead of the blue and white of before it was a dark purple with blue highlights that ran over the wings and wrapped around the engines.

Kursed walked to the rear of the ship and tapped in her access code to lower the small ladder that she used to enter the armory at the back of the ship. She quickly made her way to the cockpit while shedding her cloak to reveal the rest of her outfit. The original trip to Fichina had been to meet up for a contract, but she was now thinking that the whole thing had been a set up from the get go. Since she hadn't expected combat, she was just dressed in jeans and a black shirt with her blue flight vest over the top of it. As she sat down in the cockpit, she kicked her boots against the underside of her chair to dislodge some of the loose snow before beginning the start up sequence for her ship.

As her radio powered to life the voice of a space port official came out of the speaker. _"Attention Fiona Sureshot, or rather Kursed. You are ordered to shut down your engines at once and surrender to Fichina Officers."_

Kursed shook her head and grabbed the flight sticks for her fighter, increasing her thrust and lifting her fighter off the pad.

"_Kursed! This is your last warning! If you try to take off, we will open fire and blast you out of the sky!"_

Kursed scoffed and keyed her radio. "I would love to see you guys try." with that she pointed her ship up and activated her boosters launching into the air and damaging the landing area as she blasted into orbit and punched through into space. She glanced at her scanner as she left Fichina behind, glad to be off the frozen dirt ball. She turned back to her canopy and felt her jaw drop.

In front of her were at least five Cornerian Army cruisers, and each one was arming its weapons and locking onto her ship, causing her cockpit to be filled with the sounds of warning alarms. She silenced the alarms and realized that one of the sounds was an incoming alert. Kursed looked at it with doubt before she pressed the answer button and felt her face raise in a silent snarl as the General appeared on her communicator.

"General Peppy." she said softly.

"Kursed." The hare responded curtly

Kursed lost the snarl and frowned "What exactly did I do to warrant such a huge response General? Last I checked visiting Fichina wasn't a crime."

The aging hare shook his head "No, but you did visit it under a false name, then there is of course the damage you did to the bar. I was told some sort localized earth quake. Repairs are going to be quite costly." Peppy paused "Of course, I might be willing to step in if you help us out with something."

Kursed narrowed her eyes. "What sort of something?"

Peppy let a little bit a smile out. "Oh, just a small scouting mission."

Kursed scoffed, "Bull shit, no way you throw this much weight around just to get me to join some scouting mission. Whats the catch?"

Peppy shook his head as the smile slid off his face. "No catch, I just need you for this particular mission is all, or rather somebody with your particular skill set."

Kursed growled softy "Bull. Shit. There's something else you're not telling me. But I get the feeling that you're not going to tell me here. So, for now I'll comply, but if I see anything I don't like, I'm gone."

Peppy nodded his head "Fair enough Kursed. Just know that if you do take off, I will have to keep you on the most wanted list."

Kursed waved her hand in a dismissive gesture "So I can't land on a few planets, not like I care, there are plenty of ports out there. So, where do I need to go for this mission.?"

Peppy was silent for a moment. "You can report to the cruiser _Fortify _for now. I still need to get a few few things ready before I send you out."

"And if I just want to fly there myself?"

Peppy shook his head "Sorry Kursed, that ones not up for debate. Report to the landing bay, and do try to behave." Peppy cut the connection and vanished from her view screen.

Kursed grunted as her ship shook slightly, she frowned as her computer alerted her to the tractor beam lock that was now pulling her towards the landing bay of the nearest cruiser. She growled again as her ship was pulled into the landing bay. "I'll show him how I behave." she muttered as she grabbed her staff and headed for her armory.

* * *

-_Corneria, G-Zero Race Track_, **One Week Later**-

* * *

The crowd erupted into cheers as the blue and white racer blurred across the finish line, securing his place in first, followed shortly by his partner and some times rival in second place. It was the final race of the Corneria World race set, and with that finish, Fox McCloud, Pilot turned Racer, secured his first place win for the series. Fox couldn't help but take one hand off his control sticks to pump a fist in the air in celebration.

As he slowed down his racer and pulled into the pit area, he couldn't help but wonder about the direction his life had taken these past eight years. Being a G-Zero racer when Falco had suggested it had seemed odd at the time, but he couldn't lie to himself that spending what little money he had left constantly getting sauced in every bar on Corneria hadn't been a great way to spend his time either.

It hadn't taken, Fox and Falco long to start gaining attention in the racing world. They had converted two of their spare Arwings to fit the specs for a G-Zero racer, the space craft style G-Diffuser allowed for better control, and they kept the same paint job, only adding their names to the side to distinguish the ships. The result was something that attracted attention and got them a entirely different type of fan base.

Sure there were some that thought Fox and Falco had turned away from their cause in life. But for every single one of those fans had left, two more had joined. People it seemed were always trying to get the pairs autograph, even if they tried to disguise their looks with a hat or something, there was always one person who saw the duo for who they were.

Thinking about the fans and his old team had him thinking about Slippy Toad. The little green guy had stuck around for a bit, while they were still an underground hit, but eventually a job working on advanced technology with his dad came up and Slippy took it. The last message from the toad had been a few years ago at least. He had mentioned a promotion coming up, but he hadn't sounded happy about it.

Fox sighed, his good mood ruined by his own thoughts as he pulled into the hanger where they kept the racers. He finished the shut down sequence and popped his canopy right as Falco Lombardi pulled into his garage bay. Fox hoped out of his racer and brushed off the sleeve of his red jumpsuit, where a little bit of grime covered the Team Star Fox name. He looked over as Falco popped his canopy and hopped out in his green jumpsuit, after starting the shut down of his engines, instead of waiting like Fox did.

Where Fox's fur had just darkened a few shades of orange, making his white stripes stand out even more. Falco feathers had lightened in a stripe along his head, while the rest of them had darkened. It had turned him, as his girl friend Katt Monroe put it, "into a very hot Bird Boy." Ever since then, Falco had taken to wearing a pair of sunglasses all the time. Even while he was driving his racer, although he at least had the sense to tuck them up on his head. As he walked over to Fox he slid the shades over his eyes.

"Good race old man, I only trailed you by a few seconds that time. If I had managed to pass you on inside of the last turn, I would be the one celebrating here next week."

Fox shook his head "Whatever Lombardi, You still would have been three points behind overall."

Falco laughed "I'm the cocky one Fox, not you."

Fox grinned as the two of them made their way towards the garage exit. "Maybe you've just mellowed in your old age, your what, going on forty now?"

Falco punched Fox playfully on the shoulder. "Its thirty-eight thank you, and you're only a year behind me, so you have no room to talk."

Fox shook his head as he walked out of the garage with Falco, both heading for the locker rooms to change. They walked in, already pulling the zippers on their jumpsuits and ready to get into more casual clothes. They walked into separate stalls with their clothes draped over their arms and started changing.

As Fox was pulling on jeans he heard Falco ask from the stall next to him "So, what are we going to do until next week when the award ceremony goes down? Just hang out at the racers hotel, or are we going to head back to Papetoon?"

Fox thought about it for a moment, as he pulled on his black shirt and sat down to "Actually, since that's what we do pretty much every year, how about we ditch the racers hotel, get a different one downtown, then get out and hit some of our old haunts, see how they've changed in the last few years."

Falco's hands appeared on the edge of the stall wall as he pulled himself over it to look at his friend. "Seriously? We haven't done that in years."

Fox laughed "That's kinda the point isn't it?"

Falco managed to shrug and dropped back down into his stall. "True enough I guess. So what do we do about the hotel? Just tell them we're going to another one?"

Fox opened the door to the stall and set about gathering his things. "Yea, even though if we do that, somebody is going to let people know that we're out and about. I say we just grab a few things from the Hanger and head to another hotel. Try and keep it on the down low, you know."

Falco laughed as he kicked open his stall door, his bag slung over his shoulder. "That reminds me, I'm guessing most of the race earnings are going to the Hangers rent as usual right?"

Fox nodded absentmindedly as he grabbed his own bag and held it loosely in his right hand. He adjusted the sleeve of his shirt so it went down to his wrist. He turned to find Falco dressed in black slacks and a dark blue polo. Fox raised an eyebrow at him as Falco let him look his fill.

Fox just shook his head and turned to the exit as Falco pulled on a trim jacket as well. "I'm guessing you and Katt are going out tonight?" Fox asked as he swung the door open and let a chill guest of wind blow in.

Falco nodded "Hey, here's an idea, if we get a hotel, everybody is going to know where we're at anyway. Why don't we just stay at the Hanger, we stop by a store grab some supplies and head there. I can still get out for my date with Katt, and we get privacy for once." Falco shook his head as the two of them walked down the street. "You know after that win, lots of our fans are going to be looking for us. I almost think its become a game for them, ya know? They know that we try to stay out of the public eye-"

Fox smiled as he mummered "Something you never were good at, or liked."

Falco grinned at him, but kept talking. "They take it as a challenge to try and find us, the reward: our autograph."

Falco and Fox were approaching the warehouse distract. Fox noticed that Falco kept glancing at his wrist gauntlet, checking the time.

Fox sighed. "Go ahead."

Falco turned to face him. "What?"

Fox waved a hand through the air. "Your date with Katt. I know you want to go now." Fox paused "Got a deal for you, go now, have a nice date, then stop by the store on your way back to the Hanger. I'll go ahead and get everything started up. Deal?" Fox held out his hand as he said the last.

Falco slapped his hand "Deal." he said as he ran off, leaving Fox shaking his head. He reached into his bag and pulled out a baseball cap, pulling it snugly over his head, making sure his ears popped through the holes in the top. Then pulling the bill lower over his face, Fox continued working his way through the warehouse district, heading for the storage areas beyond.

As Fox approached one of the largest storage buildings he thought about what they had started calling the 'Hanger'. He walked up to the large building surrounded by the flimsy security fence, on the outside, the warehouse looked like all the rest, on the inside however, it was completely different.

Fox walked up to the gate and kicked it open, moving to the small door on the outside, ignoring the big warehouse doors, knowing as he did that they were welded shut and reinforced with another set of doors on the inside. When he reached the door, he took a key from around his neck and put into the top of a small box next to the door, popping the cover and allowing him to punch in his seven digit code on the keypad inside.

The door next to him bounced slightly as the heavy bolts inside withdrew from the frame, allowing him to pop it open and have access to the small hallway inside. He walked down the hallway, taking off his hat as he reached another door, this one with a small scanner next to it. Fox pressed his hand against the scanner, and when it beeped he pushed against the door blocking him, walking into the large open inside.

Fox glanced up at what occupied the space and sighed, before walking up a small gantry and patting the white wing that was hanging down. Time had not been kind to the _Great Fox II._ Fox walked over to the door on the side and pressed another five digit code into the keypad, the door sliding up into the hull as a hum filled the warehouse as the _Great Fox _started its power systems.

Fox walked into the hallway, watching as the lights slowly clicked on in sequence as he walked down. He couldn't help but think back to how the ship had ended up in this state of disrepair. It was less then a decade ago when it was brand new, built in record time to celebrate the defeat of the Aparoids, then given to Star Fox as a thank you for saving Lylat. Space Dynamics had the original blueprints on record, and aside from swapping out older alloys and materials with newer versions and stronger alloys, the ship was exactly the same.

It had gotten two years of use, before...that.

Fox drifted the hallways, lost in his memories, called again, by just being in the ship, his ship, _their_ ship.

* * *

_Fox walked through the hallway of the ship, his mind awash in his own thoughts. He had been arguing with himself for the past two months, knowing as he did, how she would most likely react, but he couldn't help the emotions and thoughts that were constantly raging a war inside him. Every time they got in the Arwings, every time he knew there was a chance that they would get into a firefight. He worried, it got so bad, he worried himself sick some nights. He loved her, god did he love her, and everybody knew it. But he was so scared- no. Terrified, that something would happen to her. Something would happen, and he would lose her, and he didn't know if he would be able to handle it._

_The great Fox McCloud, had finally found love, and it had made him finally realize how much he had to lose._

_As if summoned by his thoughts, he felt two hands wrap around his waist, pulling him tight against her body. "Morning Love." she whispered into her ear, her hands moving up to rub his fur underneath his shirt. He couldn't help the grin that crawled up his muzzle as she blew softly in his ear. They had only been married half a year, him having finally proposed on the day the Great Fox had been rebuilt, they had been married just a few weeks later. Still after all this time, she was very...playful, and was always trying to surprise him._

_He knew that he would never tire of her presence, both in his heart, and in his head. She completed him, and that was what made all of this that much harder. His own hands rose to hold hers, stopping their progress. He felt her stiffen slightly when he didn't release her. She moved backwards a bit, separating their bodies, but still keeping her hands on him, although she did pull them out from under his shirt and rested them on his back. His face twitched as he felt her connect his mind to hers, heard her soft gasp as she finally felt the turmoil that he had been hiding from her for the past few months._

"_Oh...Fox...Whats wrong? I can't tell what it is, but it has been bothering you for some time now."_

_Fox turned around slowly, taking her hands in his, he turned his gaze down to stare at them, rubbing his finger through her fur, eventually touching on the ring that he himself had put on her finger. She pulled her hands out of his loose grasp and took his in hers, pulling on them gently to get him to look up at her._

_As he razed his head to gaze into her turquoise green eyes, so like his own vivid green, he felt the connection they shared go stronger, and he heard her gasp as she picked out up on his thoughts._

_Her eyes got misty and Fox watched tears form in her eyes. "You...you don't want...me?"_

_Fox opened his mouth to voice his fears, then changed his mind about what he was going to say. "No...No Krystal, never that." Fox smiled sadly as he took in her appearance, she was dressed in one of his larger shirts, it drifting down to her hips where a pair of shorts reached down her legs, before leaving her lower legs exposed right down to her bare feet. He turned his gaze back to her face, where the beads in the left side of her hair was moving slowly as she waited for an answer. "I just..." Fox paused again. "I think its too dangerous. That's all."_

_Krystal blinked "Too dangerous?"_

_Fox nodded "Flying, missions, all that, I just..." He still couldn't bring himself to say it. "I just think it would be better if you stayed on the ship, or even better, we buy a house somewhere, anywhere."_

_Krystal was silent for a long time, eventually she withdrew her hands, tugging them out of his grasp when he tried to hold on to her. She had closed her eyes and bowed her head, staring at the floor. Fox was afraid she was crying, but when she raised her head, she returned his own sad smile with one of her own. Then she raised her hand and placed it gently on his cheek, and he felt her withdraw from his mind. "If that's what you want, I'll do it."_

_Fox had been surprised "Really?"_

_She nodded "Yes, I love you Fox, I'll always love you. Now, while we're docked here, why don't you head out and find us something to eat. I'll get the kitchen ready, we still have a few days before Slippy and Falco get back from their mission. We might have time to eat alone one more time."_

_Fox smiled at her, glad that she was okay with it. "Okay." he said as he kissed her softly on the top of her head. "I'll see you in a bit." With that he turned around and headed for the airlock that would let him into the station, turning around one last time to wave good bye at her. She returned it, still with that sad smile on her face._

* * *

He should have known better.

With that last thought, Fox blinked himself out of his memories as he wondered through the bridge, passing ROB who was charging in the corner. He moved down the small elevator and reached the crew deck, where he made his way down the hallway passing each door with a small glance, at least until he got to the fifth and last one. He paused in front of this one, before palming the switch next to the door, which slid slowly into the wall. He walked in and inhaled, as if he could still catch her sent. He sighed when the only thing that reached his nose was the musty smell of dust. He walked further into the room, turning on the lights as he did so, and sat down on a stool next to the bed. The stool being the only thing he had added to the room since then.

It was silly, he knew, but he hadn't done anything to it, because he still hoped she would come back, even though he knew it was impossible. He reached out for a piece of yellowed paper on her night stand.

* * *

_He had gotten back to the ship almost an hour later, food from the best restaurant on the station in his hands. He was excited to spend another dinner alone with her, and his excitement lasted until he walked into the kitchen to find...nothing._

_The table wasn't set, the dishes the team had dirtied that morning still sat in the sink and the lights were dim from nobody being in the room. Frowning, and just beginning to feel like something was wrong, Fox set his bags down on the counter before shrugging off his always present flight vest and tucking it over a chair. _

"_Krystal?" he called out, wondering if she had just gotten distracted and was near by. Frowning when he didn't hear a response, he walked through the halls, eventually making his way to the elevator and riding it up to the crew deck. As he stepped out of the elevator he frowned. Her door at the end of the hall was closed._

"_Krystal?" he called again, working his way down the hallway. He paused outside her door, raised a hand and knocked. "Krystal?" he said softly as he knocked. "Are you okay?" When there was no answer, Fox touched the open switch and felt something in him pulse in pain as the door slid open to reveal her darkened room._

_He took a step in, his vision picking out the pulled drawers in her dresser, and her open closet, with hangers bared to the world. The only light source in the room came from her small lamp on her bedside table. Fox walked over to it, reaching to shut it off when he saw the piece of paper. Something inside of him was freaking out over that paper, as if warning him not to look at it. But his curiosity overrode the feelings and he picked it up._

_It was a simple piece of paper, folded in half, with his name writing in her hand writing on one side. Fox flipped it open and read through the note. It was short, but each word that he read felt like being shot._

* * *

'I'm sorry, I can't be that person.'

Fox ran his finger gently over the words, the ink starting to fade after all these years, but he would never forget them. Ever.

He knew that what he was doing, knew it wasn't healthy. He had been told before that he needed to let go, but he couldn't. He blamed himself for what had happened. Perhaps if he had looked a little harder, he could have stopped it.

Fox and Falco were just starting to catch on in the racing world. They had managed to make the jump from the underground races and were in the officially sponsored ones, their names were just starting to become a house hold common, and TV crews were trying to follow them around. That's why it hadn't been hard for them to find him. He didn't remember a lot about the following weeks, just that if Falco hadn't been there, his racing career would have been over as it started, and Fox would have died in some alley.

As it was, there was one thing he would never forget. Tears formed in his eyes as his memories rose once more to consume him.

* * *

"_Are you sure ready for this?"_

_Fox was still numb with shock, not really taking in the owls words._

"_Sir, did you hear me?"_

_Falco frowned at his friend, before he turned to the owl. "He still can't believe it, but even if he can't really focus, I can still confirm for you."_

_The owl nodded before he took a grip on the sheet on the table and pulled it off the body. Fox took one look at the body before running to the near by trash can and throwing up so violently it came out of his nose. Falco even fought the urge to puke, but managed to swallow his gorge._

_They had both seen a lot of dead bodies in their time, but somehow, knowing who this had been made it all the worse. Her blue fur was torched and black, whole sections of it gone, revealing the scabbed and burned skin. In the middle of her chest was a large gash where she had been stabbed with a large blade. Cuts ran along her arms and legs, signs that she had fought the police said. The worst part though, and the one that had caused Fox to run to the trash can, was the head. The police had said that somebody had taken a sledgehammer to it, to try and make it so the body couldn't be identified. The damage was severe, and Falco or Fox hadn't been able to think of words to describe it. Instead they just pulled their gazes back to the owl._

_Falco had blinked. "How can you tell its her?"_

_The owl, his job obviously weighing heavily on him at the moment reached for a clipboard. "DNA mainly, but with such extensive damage, we just wanted to make sure."_

_Falco frowned "How the hell are we suppose to identify that?!"_

_The owl shook his head, "Actually, we need you to look at this." with that he reached down for a bag where a small golden band covered in just a bit of blood sat on display. The owl took the bag, then made to dump it out into Falco's hand. Before the bird could extend his hand though, Fox's paw was there. The owl paused for only a moment before letting the band fall out and into the the orange furred paw. Fox pulled his arm in, his fist closing over the ring as he closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears. He hadn't gotten to long a look at it, but what he had seen had been enough._

"_Its her." he said softly as he turned and walked towards the exit._

_The owl called out. "Sir, I'm going to need that ring back."_

_Falco shook his head. "Man, that is his wife, just let him have the stupid thing, you have your confirmation. Now, we're leaving." Falco turned to follow Fox_

"_But..."_

_Falco whirled back around to stare at the owl who's objection faded into nothing. Falco kept the glare going for a few more moments before he turned back to following Fox, leaving the owl standing next to the body. The funeral had been a few days later, Fox dressed in all black, and wearing his fathers shades stood alone as the casket was lowered into the cold hard and unforgiving ground. When the service was over, it had taken Falco three hours to find Fox, who was getting drunk in every bar he could. On the way back to the hotel they were staying at, Fox had broken down, sobbing as he told Falco it was all his fault._

* * *

He still believed that.

Fox reached underneath his shirt and pulled out a small thin chain, on it dangled a ring, inscribed with the words. 'In Arwings, On the ground, No matter what, Together they shall be.' next to the inscription were the letters KMC. The exact same thing was inscribed on the ring that he still wore on his hand. Fox let the tears flow, darkening his fur as it got wet, before eventually managing to make their way to the tip of his nose where they fell off to land on the dark floor. He wasn't sure how long he sat there and cried, but eventually he remembered that he had to finish getting the ship ready before Falco got done with his date.

He stood up and set the note back down where it belonged gently, before he left the room, shutting off the lights as the door closed.

When Falco walked onto the ship some time later, his coat flung over his shoulder, he headed straight for the kitchen, giving ROB a wave as the two passed each other in the hall. He set the bags he had been carrying in his one hand down on the counter and sorted through them, grabbing various food stuff and putting them away. The last thing he pulled out was a six pack of chilled beer, he took two out then put the rest in the fridge, before moving towards the entertainment room where Fox sat on the couch, watching the recap of their race from the day.

Falco walked by, depositing one of the beers in front of Fox, who took it, before sitting down himself. Falco pretended to not notice his friends red eyes. They sat in silence for a moment, Falco grinning when the news reporter mentioned that the two racers had vanished, leaving only a message with the front desk. Apparently many people expected them to show up at Papetoon soon enough.

Falco snorted and spit out a bit of beer as he laughed and pointed at the screen. "They even got a poll going on what were doing, ah man that's great."

Fox grinned and chuckled ruefully. Falco glanced at him before he sighed "So..."

Fox cut him off "Don't bother, I know what you're going to say. You and everybody else saying it doesn't change my mind. So for now, or rather at least for tonight anyway, lets just sit here, like old times. Tomorrow we'll wake up and I'll show you that I can still kick your butt at video games, and a week from now, we'll go accept our awards and go back to life as usual until the next race."

Falco closed his mouth slowly and chuckled "I was just going to say you look like shit, but whatever man." He leaned back in the couch "By the way, you can never beat me at video games, you're getting senile in you're old age."

Fox snorted. "Whatever."

The next three days passed with nothing happening. It wasn't until the forth night though that Fox was woken up from sleep by a beeping from his wrist gauntlet, which was sitting next to him on his nightstand. He blinked at, trying to figure out what message was being displayed, when he saw the red lights and the warning signs. Fox rolled out of bed, dressed in his t-shirt and shorts, before reaching down to his nightstand and pulling open the drawer to grab his blaster from inside. He silenced the gauntlet as he slipped it over his wrist, before moving to the hallway, he stepped out and glanced behind him as Falco's door slid open and the avian stepped out holding an illegal revolver in his hand.

"You got the alert too then." he said softly as he stepped up next to Fox, who double checked to make sure his blaster was powered up. Fox nodded before gesturing down the hallway, the two of them making their ways down it.

"The alert said somebody was trying to force an override on the warehouse doors, but the _Great Fox's _external sensors aren't alerted yet, so they aren't inside at least." Fox said as he glanced down at his gauntlet. "Lets go out the security door and see if we can catch them coming around the corner."

The pair exited the ship and padded silently across the hanger, opening the security doors and stepped outside. Fox moved towards the front, while Falco followed him, walking backwards to make sure they didn't get jumped. As they approached the corner, a group of figures rounded the corner, Fox leveled his blaster at them. "Hit the dirt, or I'll shoot."

Their reaction was not what he expected, instead of bodies touching the ground, a bunch of flashlights popped into existence and the group shouted back at him. "C.P.F. Lower your weapons and put your hands on your head!"

Fox lowered his blaster, while Falco spoke up from behind "Well shit." he said as he tucked his revolver into the back of his pants.

As the Cornerian Police Force approached the two, Fox called out. "This is all just a big misunderstanding. My name is-"

"Fox McCloud, I have been trying to find you for the past four days."

Fox blinked as the flashlights found their way into his eyes. "Peppy?" he asked

"Put your weapons down please, they are not going to fight back."

The flash lights clicked off and Fox closed his eyes, rubbing them as if that would help restore his night vision. When he opened them again he found Peppy walking towards him, dressed in a red coat and a black under suit with the stars on his chest that announced he was the General of the Cornerian Armed Forces.

Fox blinked again as he stared at his old mentor, Falco standing besides him. "Hey Peppy, what gives?" the bird asked as he took a step forward.

Peppy sighed "I need your help."

Fox frowned "Of course, but I don't know how we can help you, I mean were G-Zero racers now."

Peppy nodded as he looked at the warehouse wall. "Yes, about that, that's what I need."

It was Falco's turn to frown. "Come on Old Man, be clear."

Peppy turned his gaze back to the pair. "Is there some place private we can talk?"

Fox shook his head. "For once I'm with Falco, what's going on Peppy?"

Peppy inhaled, then sighed once more. "I need you two to recreate Star Fox."

Falco blinked. "What?"

* * *

_**Okay, there it is. Now, unlike my other stories, this one is just a bit of a test at the moment, so what that means to all of you is this:**_

_**No Reviews, no updates.**_

_**I'm thinking Six, if I get six reviews, I'll work on this more.**_

_**I know I'm not the most popular writer around, or the best, so I think asking for six isn't to much. That said, if you leave review, please, let me know of any mistakes I made, or if you think I can improve anywhere, and as anyone who has reviewed my stories know, I reply to all my reviews, except the anonymous ones, just because I can't.**_

_**Until then, I bid you all a Good Day or Night**_

_****__**1-06-12: Okay, got six in one day, sweet, this is now set as an active project in my mind. So my rough plans so far are going to be gunning for weekly updates, I'm also looking into a Beta Readers, because I want this story to be better then my others, and since one of my reviewers pointed out just how many god damn grammar mistakes there are, well, yea, I'm working on fixing those. On the progress side though, I do have Chapter 2 done and I'm just waiting on working on a time frame with my Beta Reader to get in to him, and I'll be starting on Chapter 3 here in the next few days. So hey, the next update will be done just as soon as I get it back from Beta and fixed up and shiny!**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	2. A Late Night Briefing

_**Woots! Its Time for Chapter 2! Okay, so test passed, I got six review the first day, this story is now active in my mind. Which means that I'm always thinking about it and what I can add. So, I'll let you all get into the chapter, and leave all the wordy talky stuff for the end note. Enjoy the next chapter of the Dead Planet.**_

_**Edit 1-10-13 Below  
**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_ **The Dead Planet **_Chapter 2: _**A Late Night Briefing**

* * *

_Fox stared out the window to the space port outside. Sitting in a cradle with a swarm of workers visible on almost every surface was the _Great Fox II_. Fox couldn't believe that it had only been about six months since Peppy and ROB had sacrificed the original _Great Fox_ to get the squad through a barrier on the Aparoid home world. In that first week, Fox had no idea what they were going to do if they accepted another mission. If it hadn't been for the near by Cornerian Fleet, they never would have even made it back to Corneria._

_However, before Fox could even start seriously thinking about what he was going to do to replace the _Great Fox_. General Pepper called him up from the hospital where he was recovering from the Aparoid infection and told him that the Lylat System would like to rebuild the _Great Fox._ Fox had accepted, quickly, since he had been jokingly looking at acquiring a cargo ship to serve as a replacement and was glad that they had offered._

_Two weeks after the attack on the home world and the _Great Fox II _was under construction. The original plans had been found in storage at Space Dynamics and the crews had set about upgrading the plans to new standards before assembling the largest crew in their history to build the ship. That had been five months ago, now the ship was nearing completion, and Fox was excited, both for the ship to be done and for what currently rested in his pocket._

_At one point during what was called the Aparoid Threat, one of the missions Fox and his team had been sent on was a mission to Sauria, where he met up with his old friend Tricky. Tricky had tried to force his way along on the next set of missions but Fox had talked him out it. Tricky's response had been along the lines that he would keep the planet safe so him and Krystal could come back for their honeymoon. _

_Fox hadn't known what to say at the time._

_But now he did. He had it all planned out, and that was difficult when the person he wanted to propose to was a telepathic and could pick up on strong emotions. Something she had felt the need to inform him on, since apparently love was one of the stronger emotions, that was how she had known that he was interested in her. Fox rubbed the back of his head nervously as he thought about their first date. The one where she had asked _him _out because as she had stated with a smile 'If I wait for you to do it, the galaxy will collapse before you work up the nerve.'_

_Fox looked down at himself. He thought about dressing up, but he figured that might give something away. So instead he went for his best pair of blue jeans and a green shirt, over top he had his white flight vest and from his belt hung his always present blaster. He sighed and turned away from the window, gasping softly as he laid eyes on the person behind him._

_Krystal was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, dressed in form fitting blue pants that contrasted nicely with her own fur and a red tank top with her own white flight vest pulled over it. The outfit was so simple, yet, just because it was her, it was beautiful. Her arms were bared to the world letting all see her tribal tattoos, and around her neck hung her necklace with the gem that matched her eyes. Her tail was covered in its usual bracelets, and she had pulled most of her hair into form with her white beads._

_Fox just stopped, nothing in the moment mattered right then, as long as he could look at her as long as he wanted. Of course, time wouldn't really obey his wishes, no matter how hard he tried, and Krystal giggled as she pushed off the doorway with her hip and walked slowly towards him, and now he knew she had noticed his attention because she was swinging her hips as she walked. Fox felt a smile climb on his face as she approached him. As she got closer she leaned forward and kissed the side of his cheek. Fox took her in his arms and brought her mouth to his, deepening the kiss to levels that usually require a locked door._

_When the two separated a few minutes later, both of them were much warmer then they had been. Krystal wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him another light brush of her lips. "Come on, lets go to your room." she whispered softly in his ear. Fox grinned, but pulled himself back to reality. He leaned towards her ear "You have no idea how much I want to take you up on that offer, but I need to do something first."_

_Krystal pulled back with a playful frown. "More important than me?"_

_Fox laughed and shook his head "No, important because its you."_

_Krystal furred her eyebrows together confused, which Fox laughed at. In a smooth motion that told of all the practicing he had been doing in private, Fox reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box holding it up in between them and flicking the case open with his thumb._

"_Krystal...will you marry me?"_

* * *

"Fox, you coming? We can't leave Peppy on the bridge all night."

Fox blinked and shook his head, his jeans pulled halfway up his legs, where he had been when he apparently had drifted again.

"Fox?"

Fox turned to the door as he stood up and finished pulling on his pants. "Would serve him right, disturbing us this late." he heard Falco's chuckle from the other side of the door as he pulled on a proper shirt.

"While I agree with you on that one, we should find out whats going on that has him coming out to _personally_ track _us _down so late at night. I mean, he knows we're retired, so if he really needs us to get the team back together, it must be pretty serious."

Fox opened the door and walked out to look at his friend. "Yea, too bad the team can never get back together." he turned to walk down the hallway and he heard Falco cuss under his breath. He caught up to Fox after only a few moments.

"You know I didn't mean it like that man."

Fox gave a small smile to his friend, "I know, not your fault, I just can't help it sometimes."

The two of them reached the elevator, once inside Falco glanced at Fox. "So, what are we going to do about a team, I mean, I'm a great pilot and you aren't too bad yourself, but we're both eight years rusty, and with just the two of us..."

Fox nodded as the elevator slowed to a stop. "I know what you mean. But for now lets see whats going on, then figure out if we'll need to expand our ranks."

Falco nodded as the doors opened and the two of them stepped out to find Peppy sitting in his old spot on the bridge, looking like he had never left. The only thing out of place were the two bodyguards that stood against the back wall, keeping watch over everything on the bridge. They were two burly gray hounds each dressed in the Cornerian army colors of white and gray and each holding an energy pistol

As the two of them approached the hare he turned around in his seat and gestured for them to take theirs. Fox moved to his seat over looking everything while Falco took a seat at a side console. Both of them had a decent view of Peppy who stood up with a groan. "These old bones of mine don't work right anymore."

When the duo said nothing Peppy sighed and turned to the console behind him, pushing some buttons and causing the display to activate in the center of the bridge. It spun into life, creating a holographic display as the pixels aligned themselves. Displayed was a planet that Fox had never seen before, with desert at its poles and jungles everywhere else. In orbit around the planet were several good sized asteroids, spinning as they moved around the planet.

"Do either of you know what planet this is?" Peppy asked as he pressed a few more buttons on the console. When the racers shook their heads Peppy nodded and spoke again. "How about the Outer Ring Project?"

Again, another shake of their heads.

Peppy nodded once again. "Good, we can still keep somethings quiet when we need to. Now before I get into the why of you guys reforming Star Fox, there is one other person who needs to be present."

Fox leaned back in his chair "Who?"

Peppy looked at one of his guards who exited the bridge via the elevator, heading down to the bottom floor to exit the ship. "If you don't mind, I'll just let her introduce herself."

Falco shot Fox a look who shrugged and relaxed further in his seat, content to wait for whoever Peppy was bringing to this meeting. After about ten minutes the elevator door slid open and the guard walked in prodding somebody in front of him.

She was dressed in a black combat suit, with matching boots and a white belt that wrapped around her waist with two empty holsters hanging across from it. Her arms were held in front of her chest, bound together with energy cuffs, each of her hands had a fingerless glove on it, also black, although her exposed digits were covered in blue fur. Along one arm was a symbol that had Falco paying very close attention, although Fox was focused on her face. Rather he tried too, a small sack covered her head, preventing anybody from seeing who she was.

The guard led her down the steps to stand by Peppy, leaving her to stand next to one of the fold out stools. Then the guard positioned himself between the hare and his apparent prisoner. Peppy nodded at the guard who reached forward and yanked the sack off her head. The vixen shook her head and glanced around the bridge looking for Peppy, but when her eyes found Fox's she swore heavily.

"Oh hell fucken no." She turned around and saw Peppy "You can take me back to whatever cell I've been staying when you woke me up. I absolutely refuse to work with these two dropouts."

Falco spoke up. "Dropouts?"

The vixen shot him a glance "Yea, dropouts, you two gave up on flying to become racers, what a fucken disgrace." she turned her gaze to Fox, who was still reeling over the fact that this woman looked amazingly like Krystal. "What, your girlfriend died and suddenly you forgot how to fly, so you just hang up your pilots vest and become racers?"

Fox narrowed his eyes, while Falco slammed his hands down on the console and stood up "Now wait-"

She fixed her gaze on him. "You're no better, you should have kicked him so hard in the ass he realized what a pathetic little bitch he was being and hopped back in the cockpit." she paused "Although I'm actually kinda happy you two gave up as you did, lots more work for people like me."

Falco shook his head "Bounty Hunter." somehow he managed to turn those two words into an insult.

She scoffed "Racer." the vixen managed to copy Falco's tone and turn the word into an insult.

Falco opened his mouth, but closed it when Fox waved a hand at him. He frowned but sat down at his console. The vixen smiled "That's right, obey your master like the little bitches you both are."

Falco snarled and made to stand up when somebody else spoke.

"That's enough!" his voice was soft, yet somehow it carried the crack of a blaster and all three of the pilots turned to face the General, who was once again standing in front of his seat. "Now, I don't care what squabbles you three want to start later, but right now, I expect you all to shut it, sit down, and behave." the vixen opened her mouth "Kursed I can get a gag for you if I have too." Kursed closed her mouth and sat down on the stool with a thump and leaning as far away from her guard as she could.

Peppy stared at each in turn for a count of three before he turned back to the console and pressed a few more buttons. "Now, the Outer Ring Project, or ORP, is a system of space stations that we started building back when we first encountered the Aparoids, to try and help prevent an invasion from them or any other species out there by serving as an early warning system. Just recently we put the finishing touches on the communication systems for the rings and finished the last base station. Right as we did so however, our scans showed a large mass where there hadn't been a few days before."

Fox caught it first. "The planet you showed us earlier."

Peppy nodded "Exactly."

Falco spoke up "Wait, you're telling us that the planet just appeared, on the outer edge of the Lylat system?"

Peppy nodded again "I am. As strange as it sounds, that is exactly what has happened."

Falco shot Fox a look before he turned back to Peppy. "So what did you do?"

Peppy turned back to the console and changed the display back to the planet. "We sent out a scouting team to try and find out more about the planet. While their probe was scanning the planet we received a last burst transmission that reported incoming fire then silence. We ordered our scouts to move in for a closer look. Shortly after we lost contact with them, but not before it sounded as if one of their own had turned traitor and attempted to shoot down the entire flight."

Fox raised an eyebrow "You're sure it was the entire flight?"

Peppy sighed "Our scanners from the station picked up the dog fight and registered the six explosions unique to a G-Diffuser rupture, that and two smart bomb missile explosions. We did receive a last burst transmission from one of the pilots though. We're still not sure if he survived or not, our scans showed him heading for the planet like his ship was out of control. Right now hes listed as MIA, as is his wingman."

Falco spoke up "Who's missing, I mean is it anybody we know? That would be one reason I would figure you came seeking us."

Peppy nodded. "The missing pilots are Typhon Longwing, and Bill Grey."

Fox blinked before speaking softly "Damn it Bill, what have you gotten yourself into now." in a louder voice he directed at Peppy "So you believe them to be somewhere on the planet? Then you want us to go get them or something?"

Peppy nodded "Part of it, the other part is I want you to search for inhabitants."

Falco cracked his neck "How do you even know the planet supports life?"

Peppy pressed a button "Because, we've encountered it before. Gentlemen, this is the long assumed dead, planet of Cerinia."

Suddenly Kursed was paying very sharp attention to Peppy and to the display behind him. "Cerinia is gone, destroyed long ago."

Peppy glanced at her for the first time since he had scolded them all. "Yet, here it is, just outside of Lylat."

Fox glanced at her, still trying to get over the similarities between Krystal. "Hey Peppy, not to be rude, but what is this woman doing on my ship anyway? Unless shes important to something I would like her removed."

"She is important Fox."

Fox glanced at Peppy "How?"

Kursed sighed and rolled her eyes, leaning down so she could rub her head with her fingers "There is no way, you are this stupid. Seriously, you dated a Cerinian for almost three years, and you don't think that by the fact that I share the same hue of coloring, which is really, really rare in Lylat, that hey, perhaps I might be one too?" Kursed scoffed and turned her gaze away from Fox, who was shaking his head. She turned her dark blue eyes to Peppy "But I would like to know how you know what I am. I don't actively advertise it."

Peppy just smiled again. "Perhaps I'll tell you when you complete the mission, further incentive if you will."

Falco had been looking at Kursed "Well, that explains her at least." he turned his gaze back to Peppy "Hey, Peppy, I just thought of something, when Fox and I became racers we retired the Star Fox mercenary license. We can't legally accept jobs from you until we get it active again."

Peppy waved a hand through the air "Taken care of this morning."

"What?"

Peppy smiled at them "I took the liberty of renewing your licenses this morning, registering you in your old positions."

Falco turned to look at Fox "Should we be insulted that he did that? I mean we don't have to accept his mission."

Fox glanced at his friend. "Falco."

Falco raised his hands "Just saying, you know, we could just ignore this and go accept our awards in a few days. Go back to racing and pretend it never happened. I'm good with that."

Fox glanced at his own console "No you're not, I know your dates with Katt are you two flying around somewhere." before Falco could speak up to deny it Fox continued "Besides, we can't, its Bill, I won't leave another person I know to die."

Falco said nothing for a moment, catching on to what Fox was referring too. Fox noticed Kursed look up at him as well. He turned his attention back to Falco as he spoke up. "So, just like that, we're Star Fox again?"

Fox nodded "Why not? That's how it worked in the Academy."

Falco raised an eyebrow "We were teens then, we're a bit older, and its a bit harder for us now don't ya think?"

Fox smiled "You're not the only one who has kept up practicing flying Falco, just go with it." Fox's smile widened "You know, unless you're scared." Fox turned back to Peppy before Falco could respond. "So, what exactly are you hiring us for General?"

Peppy nodded at Fox, knowing what this meant to him. "I need Star Fox to go scout this planet, find out if any of the original inhabitants still live, look for our missing pilots and bring them home safe. You are also to escort Kursed there, so that she can confirm if the planet really is Cerinia."

Fox nodded "We'll get right on it, first off we need to get the _Great Fox II _moved back to the space port. I also need to get in contact with Slippy to see if he wants to come along. I would prefer to have a full four man team."

Peppy shook his head "Unfortunately, Slippy is busy in his department and he can't step away for the next few months. I'm afraid you'll have to find somebody else to serve as a forth."

Fox nodded "I'll take care of it. Anything else?"

Kursed spoke up again. "Yea, I got a question, I still haven't agreed to anything, and aside from your _generous _offer of covering those bar damages and telling me how you know where I came from. Things that I can really live without, I don't see any reason for me to accept and go along with these dropouts."

Peppy glanced at Kursed "How about a clean slate? You do this one thing for us, and as cliched as it is, I wipe your record? Do we have a deal?"

Kursed thought about it for a moment, reaching up to rub her chin with her hands, which were still bound together. "Fine. Deal."

Peppy looked up at Fox. "Do you mind if I leave her here, she has a ship of her own that I can have waiting for you at the star port, but I would rather not drag her around with me everywhere I go while you get the _Great Fox_ ready"

Fox looked down at Kursed with a frown "As long as she behaves."

Kursed barred her teeth at Fox, who sighed. "Can I keep the energy cuffs?" he asked Peppy hopefully. The hare shook his head as he stood up. "Unfortunately not, these cuffs lose their energy after a few hours, so in about thirty minutes she'll be free anyway."

Fox shook his head "Damn" while Kursed looked down at the cuffs in interest. Fox looked over at Falco "What do you think, cargo room?"

Falco thought about it "Nah, too much in there for her to wreck. Lets throw her in Slips old room. All that's left in there is a bed. We can lock the door from the outside too, so we don't have to worry about her wandering about."

Kursed barred her teeth again and let a growl slip out of her throat. Fox rolled his eyes "Oh this mission is going to be so much fun."

Peppy gave a small chuckle as he stood up and his guards walked into the elevator. "Anything else before I go?"

Fox nodded "Yea, one question."

Peppy nodded in return "Sure, as long as I get to ask one of you."

Fox smiled "Alright, me first, how far out is this planet?"

Peppy thought about it "About two weeks, my turn, how did you get this the _Great _Fox down here and hidden, with out anybody noticing?"

Fox laughed "I'll tell you when I get back, its too big of a story to be explained now."

Peppy narrowed an eye at him "Better not be making a promise to me Fox, I won't let you forget it."

Fox laughed again "Go to bed Old Timer, we'll get the _Great Fox _in the air tomorrow then we'll get your mission done."

Peppy shook his head before he spoke up again "Hey Fox, when this is over, are you going back to the race track? Or can I count on you in the future?"

Fox blinked and glanced down at the floor as he rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno Peppy, I guess we'll see what happens."

Peppy nodded and pressed the button for the bottom deck and the elevator doors closed. Behind Fox Falco yawned "Alright, we got that out of the way, now what do you say we put the princess in her room and go back to bed? We got a lot to do tomorrow if we're going to get the ship in the air."

Fox nodded his agreement, hitting the button to summon the elevator then moving down the stair case over to Kursed. "Come on." he said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Quicker then he could actually keep track of, Kursed had stood up and lashed out with a brutal kick that sent Fox stumbling backwards and had Falco pulling his revolver out of the back of his pants. As Fox recovered his breath he gestured for Falco to hold his fire. "What?" he paused and coughed "What was that for?!"

Kursed snarled at him "Nobody touches me, ever, not you, and not your bird."

Falco thumbed the hammer back on his revolver "What a delightful little ray of sunshine you are." he glanced at Fox who straightened up "Are you sure I can't shoot her, I can make it look like an accident."

Fox glared at Falco who shrugged "Hey it seemed like a fitting line."

Fox shook his head. "Keep your gun on her anyway." he turned back to Kursed, he jerked his head towards the elevator "Come on then, lets go."

Kursed walked stiffly up the stairs and waited for the elevator to arrive, when it did she walked in, followed by Fox, while Falco took up a spot by the wall. "Down Please, Deck 5."

Kursed reached forward and pressed the button for deck five. As the elevator lowered, Kursed looked over her shoulder and spoke up "So if I...misbehave...you'll just shoot me?"

Fox shook his head "I won't."

Falco grinned "That's my job, and just give me a reason. Please."

Kursed rolled her eyes then went back to staring at the wall until the elevator slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, Fox gestured for Kursed to lead them out. "Second door on your left." Kursed led them down the hallway until she reached the door, she reached out with her bound hands and hit the switch to open the door. As she stepped in she turned to face them. "If either of you try to come in here, I'll kill you." She glanced at Falco "I don't need a weapon to do so either."

Fox nodded "Fair enough, if you suddenly started cooperating with us I would be suspicious. So I'll just leave your threat with one of my own. Don't try to leave the room." Fox leaned forward to slap the door switch. "Oh, and welcome to Star Fox." then he hit the switch and the door slid shut in her face as she started to growl a response. Falco chuckled next to him as Fox programmed his gauntlet to alert him if the door controls were messed with in anyway.

As he finished Falco spoke up. "Do you really expect her to try something?"

Fox nodded "I _fully_ expect her to try something before this mission is over. We'll need to keep an eye on her. That and get a Forth that we both can trust to have our backs."

Falco nodded his agreement "True, but I can only think of one right now who we can use as a Forth."

Fox rubbed his chin "Yea, I know who your thinking of too, give her a call tomorrow morning and ask."

Falco hit the open switch for his door and turned to go into his room, he stopped on the outside and glanced over his shoulder at Fox. "If she says no?"

Fox had copied Falco but didn't stop outside, he was already inside when he answered "I have no clue." his door slid shut after him and Falco shrugged walking into his room and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Inside the spare room, Kursed waited while she listened to the muffled conversation the two were having outside. When she heard the small thumps that told her both of their doors had closed, she sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting down heavily. Then immediately standing up and waving her hand in front of her face as a cloud of dust rose to cover her.

As she coughed it out of her lungs, eyes watering she turned her thoughts to the events of the past few weeks. First Peppy finding her on Fichina, then the cells aboard his cruiser. Although according to Peppy she only had herself to blame for that, if she hadn't mauled three of his security guards they would have left her in a room of her own.

Kursed scoffed slightly as she thought about that, 'mauled' was such a strong word, she just damaged their egos. On the thought of egos she found her thoughts drifting to Falco, it was nice to see that he was still quick to anger, she could have fun with that later. What had surprised her the most was seeing Fox though. She had done her best to leave him behind, and had succeeded pretty well too, in her opinion. But now, here she was, on the same ship that she had last seen him on, and pacing the wall next to her old room.

She stopped and rubbed her eyes as some of the dust reacted with the dye she had planted in her eyes. It had felt strange the first time she looked in the mirror after she had the surgery, she looked like a completely different vixen. But it hadn't been enough, so she dyed her tattoos to match her fur and set out to make a name, and a trail for herself. The scar helped, but that was completely accidental. One of her first marks had gotten lucky and had the drop on her, she had made it out of that one in one piece, aside from her scar. As for the mark, well, it had been a good thing that the bounty said dead or alive.

Ironically, it had been that mark that had started the Kursed rumor, that she would complete any mark no matter what. She guessed that turning in a bag of remains had grossed out a lot of people. Either way it had helped, rumors spread about her origins, where she had come from, why she did what she did, and how come she was blue. Some nights when she was bored she would look into the rumors to see what wild one had appeared now.

Kursed sighed and moved over to the bed, laying down gently, so as not to trap her still bound arms underneath her. Her thoughts once again drifting to Fox. When she had heard that he had given up flying and turned to racing, she had been filled with a savage glee. Hopefully he had felt the same pain that he had caused her when he tried to make her a good little house wife. But then, Fox being Fox, he took to racing like anything else and quickly excelled, becoming one of the best racers in the system. That had caused her anger at him to grow.

She had tried to get a rise out of him earlier on the bridge, but all he had done was narrow his eyes, even when she had attacked him, he had stopped Falco from retaliating. She wondered what her appearance had done to him. She knew that even with all of her changes, she still looked a lot like her former self. If she also hadn't had a voice modulator surgically implanted onto her vocal cords, he might have still be able to recognize her. Maybe it would make him think more about what he had given up, instead of living a new life with out her.

She rolled over in the bed, thinking about the person who had tried tracking her down when she had first become Kursed. She hadn't been worried really, just that they were trying to track down Krystal, and that might have led them to Kursed. She couldn't risk that, so she looked around and found some shady doctor who could transfer her DNA to a corpse, even make it look like her old self so that whoever was looking for her would believe her dead.

It wasn't until a couple years later that she had found out that the one who had been looking for her had been Fox. She had thought about seeking him out a few times, but when she had heard this news, she was firmly settled into being Kursed, she had changed, and moved on. So had he, since by then he and Falco were G-Zero racers. Unexpectedly, her thoughts turned to why she had left him, would being a housewife had been so bad that she had to run with her tail between her legs? Angry at herself for her thoughts even drifting that way she reminded herself of the image she had pulled out Fox's head that day so long ago. The one where he flew off in his Arwing day after day to do missions, and leaving her behind. Maybe if she had still been on Cerinia that could have worked, but she had grown to used to adventure, and to the action and thrill of space combat to just be able to give it up so easily. It was possible that she could have talked it out with Fox, but instead she had let the same fear that she had when she was younger take over and control her actions. By the time she had thought about correcting her mistakes, it was too late.

Sighing and settling deeper into the bed, Kursed let her mind drift, trying to rid it of her current thoughts, no matter how she had ended up in this position, all that mattered now was that she got through it. Get this little mission out of the way and go back to the shady sections of Lylat, where she had been forged into something else. She reached up to rub her forehead and realized that the cuffs had vanished, leaving her arms free. She turned her thoughts to those along the lines of what Cerinia would be like, she had originally been forged to be a ruler, but had left instead. Would they still be there? Her parents? For once, Kursed was afraid to find out the answer.

* * *

Inside his room, Fox was sitting on his bed, staring at the picture on his dresser. The thin gold chain was hanging loose out of his shirt and he was idly playing with her ring. After a while he sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Hey Dad, just wherever you are, could you ask why the universe keeps doing this to me? I mean is it a punishment for not finding her fast enough?"

He sighed again. "I should start from the beginning. I told you before I become a racer just how much I had screwed up, chasing the best thing in my life away from me." Fox paused, realizing that he hadn't tried talking to his father since he had become a racer. "Sorry about the long silence, I should have tried to talk to you more, but it just felt wrong. Like I had turned my back on what you had wanted me to become." Fox glanced at the floor, some part of him knew that this was a silly thing to do, but some part of him, didn't care, it helped him cope.

"I lost her Dad." Fox blinked the tears out of his eyes. "I chased her away, and by the time I found her again, it was too late. She was dead, and there was nothing I could do." Fox thought again back to those weeks when her body had been discovered, the news hounds ate it up, the great Fox McCloud mourning over his lost love. It had taken Falco and a baseball bat to finally get them to leave him alone. Fox tightened his paw around the ring, feeling the tough metal bite into his flesh. "Was she sent to punish me dad? This bounty hunter named Kursed? She looks so much like Krystal dad, I felt my heart skip a beat the first time I saw her. I honestly thought that Krystal was back, that I would get a second chance." Fox sighed again and released his hold on the ring, glancing down at the floor for a few minutes before returning his gaze to the picture on the dresser. "Or is this a different sign? A sign that I should finally leave her behind, let her rest for good?" Fox stood up and walked over to his dresser picking up the picture there and staring at it.

In it Fox and Krystal were standing in a field on Sauria, they had just been married, and Fox had decided that Tricky had been right, Sauria was where they would go for their honeymoon. He had made the mistake of telling Tricky that he was coming though and the King Earthwalker had set about this huge celebration. The two of them had finally ran off into the woods to get away from it. They eventually emerged in a field, and Fox had turned to his new wife. He was dressed in jeans and a matching t-shirt, his face clear of worries and only staring at the vixen with love. She was dressed in a short skirt and a similar t-shirt to his, the two of them holding each other and starting into their eyes. They had kissed them stepped forward into a hug, after they had separated they stood there, holding hands while the sun set behind them. Its golden light dancing through her fur and lighting up her eyes. It was at that time that somebody had taken the picture, Fox never found out who, just received the picture before they had left Sauria.

Fox set the picture down and sat down heavily on his bed. "What I'm trying to say Dad, is, I'm sorry I didn't do this more, I should have, but after I lost Krystal, I felt I had lost the right to talk to you as well." Fox laid back in his bed, still fully clothed. "You know, I always wanted to take her to see her home world, but instead, I have to take this foul mouthed bounty hunter instead." Fox closed his eyes, tucking the chain back under his shirt. "Good night Dad, wish me luck."

* * *

_**Bam, there we go, not a whole lot of arm twisting like I said in the summery, but oh well right? Anyway, we got three of the four members of the team on the same ship, with the forth to arrive next chapter, who by the way I hope everybody can guess as to who it is. Speaking of everybody on the same ship, who's excited for a little Kursed and Fox conflict next chapter?! I am! I should prolly get on writing that eh?**_

_**Okay, just a few notes, this story at its heart will be review driven, I'm not going to ask for a set amount like I did last chapter, I've never been a big fan of that type of setup, and honestly kinda hate myself for even doing that. But the more reviews I get, the bigger my drive to write this story will be. I'm pretty fast writer when my ideas get formed, and ever review just helps those ideas form. Plus, as any author here on FF net can attest, getting a review just creates this awesome feeling and keeps stories alive, so do your part eh? Not just on my story but any story you take the time to read.  
**_

_**Okay, also, this chapter went through a Beta reader! For those who know me, holy crap I know right, but I want this story to be better then my others. So I sought one out, and now I'll just have to tell you all that if you're enjoying this story, you need to be thanking Cpt. Fox, both for being said beta reader, and for his review on my one shot being the spark that started this story.**_

_**Edit 1-10-13: Okay, so Chapter three is done...ish...something feels wrong with it, massively, so I'm sitting on it for now until I get hit with the spark of thought that lets me know whats wrong with it. Or until I say fuck it and restart from scratch. But I will tell you this, while I wait for that spark I'm working on chapter four. I'm quite happy with how its turned out so far, full of the Kursed/Fox stuff that you all came to this story for. I hope it will all be worth that wait : P  
**_

_**Well, I think that is all, so until the next chapter,**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	3. Forth and Away

_**Ah...apologies readers, this should have been up a while ago, but honestly, I decided on a rewrite of the whole chapter just last night. Also, this chapter did not got through a Beta read, although Cpt. Fox did give me some advice which helped. Anyway, this chapter is not my best, I'm sure it sucks and I **_**KNOW****_ that it is full of grammer and spelling mistakes, because it is 0445 here and I just can not be assed to give anymore shits about it, I read through and fixed what I saw, but I'm sure I missed a lot. Anyway, I'll leave you to it, enjoy!_**

* * *

_Star Fox: _**The Dead Planet **_Chapter 3: _**Forth and Away**

* * *

_Fox blinked slowly as he took another long draw from the bottle in front of him. After a few moments of pulling on it, he realized that the numbing liquid was gone, again. He set the bottle down on the couch next to him with a light thump, not even caring where it went now that its contents were gone. He didn't really care about a lot anymore, aside from where he could get his next drink. Some part of him was disgusted about the sorry state he was in, but, right now, under the effects of the blissfully mind numbing alcohol, Fox didn't care._

_Fox blinked as he tried to remember how much time had passed. Not enough in his opinion, he gave a wet burp as he realized that it had only been a little over two months since he had watched them lower that casket into the ground. Fox looked around the dismal apartment that he currently shared with Falco. Falco, who was the only one who stuck around after...after _it.

_The walls were a pasty white, with yellow stains running through a few of them, a small TV sat on the floor of the room, and the one couch they had only had three seats and took up almost the entirety of the main room. Behind him was the tiny kitchen, where if he remembered he would sometimes grab something to eat, but really the only thing he cared about out of there was the fridge. The fridge, which held the supply of beer that he used to forget about everything, at least for a while._

_Fox glanced to the right, down the hallway where the open door to that bathroom was calling him. He knew that shortly that alcohol was going to force its way out of his mouth, and it would probably be best if he was there. As if confirming his thoughts, Fox felt his stomach rumble and a pressure build in his throat._

_Fox went to lift himself off the couch, and after failing twice and almost puking once, he finally managed to stand up, stumbling as the room swam around him, Fox felt his way down the hall, past his door on the right, then Falco's on the left, and into the bathroom. He found the toilet right as his body decided enough was enough, and tried to force all the alcohol out through his mouth at once._

_Almost twenty minutes later, Fox managed to stumble out of the bathroom, he turned to his right and entered his room, then blinked and realized that his room was the other door. As he turned to leave he saw the one thing that Falco had put into the room. _

_It was a picture on his nightstand, innocent in its contents, yet the very sight sent the vulpines mind tumbling into despair yet again. In it Falco had his wings wrapped around the pink feline in front of him, Katt Monroe tilting her head up to steal one more kiss on the birds beak before the picture was taken. Fox fell to his knees, tears running down into his fur. It drew his mind to the fact that tha apartment was empty except for him because it was one of the rare stretches where Falco went to stay with Katt for a few days, and that thought let to another._

Nothing!

_He had nothing! The only good thing he ever had, was Krystal, and he had driven her away in an attempt to protect her, and in the cruelest twists of irony, gotten her killed in the process. Fox fell forward, supporting his weight with his arms as his shoulders heaved while he cried. _

_People had told him the pain would go away...eventually. It had yet to go away, and never _was_ going to go away. The only thing that ever helped was alcohol and even that was starting to lose its potency on him. He couldn't sleep at night, all he saw was her, that was if he didn't drink himself to sleep._

_Fox glanced back up at the picture on the nightstand, and had an even more damming thought run through his mind._

"_**Falco, instead of taking care of his love life, hes been taking care of me, he should be spending more time with Katt. Not wasting it on my pathetic ass!"**_

_Fox chocked on his sobs as he stared at the floor, blaming everything on himself._

_His fault he chased Krystal away._

_His fault she died._

_His fault that Falco can't pursue a full relationship with Katt._

_His fault._

_His Fault!_

_**His! Fault!**_

_Fox reached up to wipe his eyes of tears, and as he did so he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was a small yellow plastic case tucked under Falco's bed. For some reason, that case gave him hope, hope in at least fixing Falco's life. Fox crawled towards the case, reaching out a shaky paw to grab it. He pulled it out slowly and gently set it on top of Falco's bed. Staring at it, Fox reached out and flipped the two clasps that kept the case closed, then slowly lifted the lid until gravity took it out of his hands and it thumped softly on the bed._

_Inside, sitting in a specially made foam interior, was Falco's prized revolver. Fox reached out a paw and brushed it along the polished metal, and shined wooden handle. Fox worked his paw underneath the foam and lifted the heavy piece of weaponry out of the case. He stared it it for a long time, his mind telling him that this was the best option, while another part argued with him, pleading for the return of his sanity._

_Fox narrowed his eyes, there was no way for him to be sane, not anymore._

_He turned his gaze back to the case where six bullets sat in slots right below where the revolver had sat. Fox reached out and grabbed one, tucking it into his paw and standing up. He only would need one. With the gun in one paw and the bullet in the other, Fox turned around and made his way out of Falco's bedroom, he turned to go towards the bathroom, then decided against it. He tucked the gun into his waistband and made sure his shirt was covering it before turning to the apartment exit and heading for the door. He pulled it open and turned towards the stairs that would lead towards the roof, leaving the apartment door open as he left._

_Three flights of stairs later, he pushed open the heavy door to the roof and walked out into the sunset, a beautiful thing of orange hues that decorated the Corneria City skyline. Fox inhaled once heavily, this would do, no need to go any further. Out here, the sound would be sure to carry for miles and somebody would come looking._

_He laughed sourly as he thought about what reaction it might get, somebody finding the body of the once great Fox McCloud, with the back of his head blown out, the gun still in hand. At least they could get it cleaned up out here. Fox lifted the gun and noticed the sunlight bouncing its beams off the polished bits of metal. _

_After he was done staring he fumbled with the catch until he got the cylinder to slide out. With a shaky arm, he raised the paw holding the bullet and went to put it into the gun. It took him a few tries, but eventually he managed to get the round into the chamber, and he pushed the cylinder back into the revolver, drawing back the heavy hammer and inhaling one last time, staring out into the sunset._

_As he did, he thought about watching the sunset, just, one, last, time. Perhaps, if the alcohol was still strong enough in, he might even be able to imagine that she would be sitting down next to him. Making up his mind, Fox went to sit down but ended up falling ungracefully onto his backside. He moved the revolver into his lap, and just stared into the sunset, his mind for once drifting to happier times, and not being depressed by them, since soon, it wouldn't matter anymore. He would be gone, but at least he would be with her._

_As the moon started to rise, Fox's ear twitched as he heard sound from the still open stairway door. It almost sounded like Falco, but it couldn't, since Falco wasn't supposed to come back till tomorrow. His ear twitched again, there it was, a quiet yet desperate sounding call._

_His name._

_Fox blinked as he realized what must have happened. For some reason, Falco had come home early, and put the missing gun and open doors together. He was most likely heading up the stairwell at this moment. Fox took a steadier grip on the gun and forced himself to stand up. If he didn't do it soon, Falco would stop him, and he would have to go back to living life with out her. He couldn't do that, not one more day._

_Fox sighed as he heard his name get louder, he opened his mouth and worked the barrel in, he breathed deeply a couple times, and closed his eyes._

"_**I'm coming Krystal."**_

* * *

"Tests complete."

Fox blinked and looked over at ROB as his voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Fox turned to his screen and noticed the test results, reading them aloud to himself. "G-Diffuser plant is running 100%, the engines are performing at max, and all power systems are function correctly." he glanced up at ROB "So, then, everything check outs?"

ROB nodded "Affirmative."

Fox checked his wrist gauntlet. "Alright Falco should be getting back soon, after that we can get the Hanger doors open and get the _Great Fox_ over to the space port." Fox paused. "Oh that reminds me, call General Hare for me will you ROB?"

ROB nodded and Fox turned to the holographic display in the center of the bridge. After only a few moments, the system kicked to life and Peppy appeared, looking like he was stepping out a snow storm of pixels to become solid.

"Fox, what can I do for you?" the old hare asked as he appeared.

Fox saluted out of habit "On official business general, I need clearance to fly the _Great Fox _through the warehouse distract and to the space port."

Peppy nodded "I'll see that it gets done. When do you need it?"

Fox glanced at his wrist gauntlet "With in the hour would be nice." he glanced up, "Also, if you wouldn't mind sending over a couple of you men to escort Kursed to her ship, that would help. Then we could just have her meet us over the space port instead of taking time to dock and let her off, only to have her just get back on with her ship."

Peppy glanced to the side then back to Fox. "I have a few people nearby, they should be at your hanger shortly."

Fox smiled "You can't spare the two that have been keeping tabs on us through the night?"

Peppy blinked, then grinned sheepishly "Its not you Fox, its-"

Fox held up a hand. "Kursed, honestly, I don't blame you, but I figure they might be quicker, just a short stroll across the street."

Peppy nodded again "I'll page them just as soon as we're done here. Anything else?"

Fox shook his head "No, that should be it, ROB and I just finished running a system test, so once Falco gets here, we'll head out for the space port to takeoff."

"Very well, if nothing else comes up, contact me when you reach the planet."

Fox saluted again. "Yes sir. Fox out."

Peppy's form vanished, looking like he just exploded into little boxes and Fox turned to ROB. "ROB, take us off the Cornerian power grid, and get us back on our internal power."

Rob turned to face him. "Doing so will require a full system start of the Great Fox, please enter verification code."

Fox nodded and turned to his console punching in his code.

ROB looked down at his console "Confirmed. Proceeding with full system start."

Fox nodded "I'll be down on the crew deck, let me know if anything comes up." with that Fox turned to the open elevator and walked in, hitting the button for the crew deck as he did. Fox turned to face the doors as they closed and spent the few moments that the elevator took to descend trying to figure out why he had been thinking so hard on his past the past twenty four hours.

He could blame this mornings recall on the appearance of Kursed. Ever since he saw her, his thoughts kept drifting to Krystal, but even before that he found himself drifting into his memories with regular frequency.

Fox glanced up as the elevator doors slid open and he started working his way down the hallway, halfway down though the lights killed out through the ship for a few moments before coming back on. Fox continued on, using memory to guide himself to Kursed's door. As the lights came back on he reached out to knock on the door, only to pause as it slid open and Kursed stepped out into the hall, and into him.

Before Fox could even take a step back and begin to apologize, he felt her fist wrap in the loose fabric of his t-shirt and shove him back against the wall. Next thing he knew Kursed was in his face and snarling at him.

Fox raised an eyebrow at her and she blinked before stepping back and letting go of his shirt. "Thought you were an intruder."

Fox brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt. "You know, most people, they apologize when the do something like that."

Kursed scoffed "God I thought Fox McCloud was supposed to be tougher then this, all you've done since I've come aboard is whine." Kursed turned her head before moving to go back into her room. "Why did the power go out?"

Fox walked over to the entrance to her room, leaning on the door frame. "Taking the ship off of Corneria Cities power grid."

Kursed went to the large desk that Slippy had set along one wall and sat on it. "So we'll be leaving soon."

Fox nodded "Hopefully, But you'll be leaving much sooner though."

Kursed raised an eyebrow in response.

Fox sighed "Peppy is sending some men to escort you to your ship, that way, once we get the _Great Fox _to the space port, you'll be ready and able to just fly your ship into our hanger and dock. Save a bunch of time."

Kursed nodded.

Fox waited "Kursed, I kinda meant now."

Kursed rolled her eyes and slid off the desk. "Fine, at least I can change clothes." Kursed walked past him and headed for the elevator.

As she reached the elevator Fox called out "Oh, before I forget, whats your ships name? That way I can contact you when we're ready to leave."

Kursed stiffened as the elevator doors opened. Fox knew the name of her personal ship, so she couldn't very well tell him it was the _Cloud Runner_. Thinking quickly she stepped into the elevator and turned around. "I'll look for you." she said as the door closed.

Fox shook his head as the elevator doors closed and stepped away, heading for the side door that lead to the stairway. Fox started up the stairs, glad for the time, and the effort it took going up the spiral stair case to clear his head.

By the time he reached the top and exited into the side corridor that lead to the bridge, Fox was feeling more relaxed, something about Kursed always set him on edge, and the climb had helped him. He walked out onto the bridge and found Falco sitting in his chair, feet kicked up on the console and using his body weight to lean the chair back.

Falco gave him an offhanded wave "Hey Fox, was wondering where you were at. ROB tells me that all the tests checked out and that the ship is running on its own power again."

Fox nodded "Yeah, how about you, how did your morning go? Do we have a Forth?"

Falco nodded "Like she could say no to me. Shes at the spaceport now, getting her ship ready to liftoff, I told her to wait there until we made it to the space port, then she could dock with us."

Fox walked over to sit at his console "Good, how did she sound about joining up with us?"

Falco frowned "Kinda excited actually, which is unusual for her."

Fox raised an eyebrow and grinned at his friend "Really?"

Falco waved his arm "Not what I meant. I could always tell when she was about to go on a job because she would calm down and get all professional. By when I told her she would be flying with us, she got giddy."

Fox laughed softly "Well, we have two weeks to find out why."

Falco scoffed "It'll take me two days." he glanced over at Fox "Wheres princess personalty?"

Fox stretched "I had Peppy send some men to escort her to her ship so she could just fly up and dock when we reached the space port. You probably just missed her when you returned."

Falco laughed "Good."

Fox looked over at ROB as he spoke up. "We have just received clearance to make a low pass over the warehouse distract towards Corneria City Spaceport."

Fox sat forward at his console while Falco sat properly in his seat. "Alright ROB, opening the Hanger doors. As soon as we're clear, take us up."

"Affirmative. Releaseing docking clamps now and firing planetary thrusters."

The ship shuddered and dropped a few feet as the clamps released and lowered into the ground as the thrusters fired to keep the ship floating. Fox pressed a button on his console. "Opening Hanger doors."

Outside the ship, the cross beams that ran underneath the roof, transformed slightly as the motors and servos went into life for the first time in years and worked to life the warehouse roof up. It sepearated at its peak and opened up till it was lined up with the walls.

"ROB takes us up."

The ship shuddered slightly as the thrusters underneath the ship increased their power and lifted the _Great Fox _out of the hanger and into the open air. Fox blinked as the bright sunlight of the morning found its way through the view screen. Falco reached forward on his console and set the dimmer for the view screen, allowing them both to see a lot easier.

"ROB, takes us to the space port, low thrust, we don't need to be making to much traffic right now, plus it'll give our team members time to get their ships ready."

ROB nodded "Affirmative, estimated time to Corneria City Space Port is twenty-five minutes."

* * *

-_Cloud Runner II: __**Cockpit-**_

* * *

Kursed frowned as she sat down in her seat, the two government goons were still sitting outside watching her. It wasn't like she could take off anyway, per the generals orders, her ship was under lock down, magnetically secured to the landing pad. Kursed shook her head as she called up a display on her view screen. Locating what she needed, she quickly set about changing the identification for her ship. She scrolled through ones that she had used in the past before smiling and selecting one she liked.

Her smile widened as she thought about what kinda grief it might cause when the traffic controllers went to unlock her ship and found the registration didn't match. That taken care of, Kursed set an alert on her scanner to let her know when it detected the _Great Fox II _and moved to the small shower in her cabin. Since her ship wasn't very big, her cabin was really just an small room with a capsule bed and shower. It was cramped, uncomfortable, and hers. She quickly stripped out of her old jump suit and slid open the door to the shower, sliding in and laying down. She closed her eyes and started the water running, she washed her fur as quickly as she could in the cramped area before shutting the water off and letting it drain.

She sighed, it felt good to be properly clean again. Sure when she had been locked up in the cell they had taken her to the showers regularly and let her wash. But it wasn't her soap and shampoo and it wasn't her shower. Kursed went to the chest where she kept her clothes and sorted through outfits before deciding on jeans and a blue t-shirt. She reached down to where she had discarded her combat suit and pulled the white belt off of it, detaching the holsters so she could loop it around her waist on her jeans. She reattached both holsters and walked out of her room and into her armory.

She grabbed her heavy blaster from its spot on the wall and tucked it into the holster on her right leg. Thinking about it for a moment, she detached the holster from her left leg and attached a large pouch instead, then she reached out and grabbed her illegal handgun. An extremely old .50 caliber pistol. She checked the clip making sure the large bullets were in there before sliding it into her pouch and pulling the flap closed, making sure that the gun was covered up properly. She turned back to her cockpit when she heard a beeping sound.

As she walked in and sat down in the chair she saw it was the alert that the _Great Fox II _had entered the airspace and was waiting for take off clearance. She glanced out at her guards before starting her ships system. This drew the attention of the traffic tower.

"Cloudrunner II _you are not-" _the voice cut off and Kursed smiled _"_Cursed Claw_, your ship is on lock down. You are not allowed to leave yet."_

Kursed hit the talk button. "You should check again, my ride is here, so I should be free to go any second now."

There was a pause in which she was sure that the officer in charge of the tower was contacting Peppy. A few moments later his voice came back over the radio. _"You have been cleared for take off _Cursed Claw_, but I have also been informed that we are to keep a lock on you with our weapons and if you go anywhere aside from the _Great Fox II,_ we will open fire."_

Kursed lifted her ship off the ground "Good, I'll make sure I stay still then, you might actually be able to hit something for once." Kursed cut the connection and spun her ship around until the _Great Fox _came into view. She pinged the bridge as she flew towards the ship.

Fox's voice came out of her speakers next. _"Kursed?"_

Kursed rolled her eyes "Who else would it be Dropout?"

She heard Fox's sigh through the speaker. "_And we all just starting to miss you too. Alright, head for the front of the ship, I'll have ROB prep a dock for you._"

Kursed nodded to herself as Fox closed the connection and made her way to the front of the ship, flying in front of the hanger and slowly moving her ship inside. As she passed fully into the ship, the doors behind her started sliding shut, she glanced to her left to see two Arwings sitting in their special launching docks, down a bit and two her right were landing pads, just big enough for other star fighters, one was already occupied, the other had flashing lights that were signaling her to land. As she landed, Kursed looked out her view port at the other ship, it was then that she noticed Falco standing next to it, with Fox walking across the hanger towards him.

The ship was circular in design with two triangular points that looked like ears, with slick wings sticking out of its side. The ship was colored a dark purple with some pink highlights. Kursed went to the back of her ship, and exited via her ladder. As she walked towards the two pilots, a hatch popped open on the underside of the ship they were staring at and a pink feline dropped down to land gracefully on the floor.

She was dressed in cut off jeans and a purple t-shirt that left her middle exposed. Hanging from her waist was a loose belt, which had a wrench and working gloves hanging from a loop on her left leg, and a small blaster hanging from her right. Around her head she wore a brown bandana with spots for her ears to poke out. Hanging from her left ear was a small earring with a blue gem. She looked like a teenager ready for a night on the town. Which Kursed realized was the point, for if anybody missed the gleam in her deep blue sea eyes, it was easy to think of Katt Monroe as a empty headed feline instead of the smart and efficient scavenger she was.

Kursed stopped where she was just a few feet away from Fox and Falco as Katt walked out from under her ship.

"Fox, it's been too long!" Katt called out as she stepped forward and held out a hand for the vulpine to shake. Fox smiled as he shook her hand then stepped back so she could hug Falco. Katt turned to face her and put a hand on her hip. "Can't say I've seen you before, although you look a hell of a lot like someone I used to know. Whats your name?"

Kursed raised an eyebrow while she folded her arms across her chest. "Kursed."

Katt took a step back to study her, "Well, at least your reputation procedures you. I guess I shouldn't have expected a handshake and a 'how ya do' from one of the most ruthless bounty hunters out there."

Kursed scoffed "What is it with people on this ship, always wanting to shake hands and pointing out useless bullshit."

Katt raised an eyebrow. "Well, your a bitch alright." she held out her hand, despite what had just been said. "Katt Monroe."

Kursed didn't take the hand. "I know who you are. You're just as well known as I am in certain circles."

Falco leaned over to Fox and using a stage whisper spoke up. "I think that's the longest sentence I've heard her say without cussing."

Kursed raised her left hand and middle finger at the bird. "Bite me Dropout."

Falco grinned as Katt stepped forward with a frown "Alright, we're drawing lines right now princess. If you're around me, Falco is off limits, I'm the only one allowed to call him names or insult him."

Falco gave a playful wave "Love you too sweet heart."

Katt didn't even turn around as she raised her own paw and flipped him off. "See, like that." she said as she kept staring at Kursed. "You keep it on a civil level and we won't have to see who would win in a fight."

Fox leaned over to Falco and using the same stage whisper that the bird had. "I put five on Katt right now."

Falco grinned and nodded "Five on Kursed."

Katt frowned "Shouldn't it be the other way around you two?" she called out.

Falco shrugged "I would, but he already put money down on you."

Kursed shook her head slowly before turning to the hallway that lead to the elevator. "Its like dealing with five year olds." she said as she walked by.

The three of them watched her go. Katt eventually spoke up "So, this is going to be fun."

Fox laughed sourly "You have no idea."

Katt focused on the vulpine. "How are you holding up?"

Fox looked at her and Katt sighed ."Fox, even if Falco hadn't told me, I noticed it too. She looks a hell of a lot like Krystal."

Fox sighed and turned to watch Kursed as she entered the hallway and turned the corner. "Yea, I know."

Falco scoffed, "I think its messing with him."

Fox shook his head. "Its not that."

Katt walked up to Falco and leaned on his shoulder. "Then what is it?"

Fox was silent for a moment, before he turned to face his friends. "Its going to sound crazy, but the reason she throws me off my game is because of what I feel here." as he finished he tapped the side of his head.

At the pairs raised eyebrows, Fox rolled his eyes and explained. "I noticed it about a month of so after Krystal and I got married. Whenever we were near by each other, there was just this feeling, right here." Fox tapped the side of his head again. "I could tell what she was thinking sometimes, and I always knew where she was at."

Falco glanced at Katt. "Your saying the feeling is back?"

Fox nodded "Yeah, I don't know if its something all Cerinians do, but its really messing with me right now."

Katt stepped back from Falco. "Wow, I can understand that." she jerked a thumb at Falco. "If I had to deal with him thinking about sex all day constantly in my head, I might go crazy as well."

Falco's "Hey!" was covered by Fox and Katt's laughter. After it died down, Katt turned to her boyfriend. "Alright bird boy, give me a tour, I've never been on this ship you know."

Before they could do that Fox looked down at his wrist gauntlet as ROB's voice came out of it. "We are next in line for launch."

Fox nodded "Thanks ROB." he turned to Falco and Katt "Tours going to have to wait until we hit space. Come on, lets head to the bridge."

As the three of them headed into the hallway and eventually into the elevator, they missed Kursed sitting on a step in the stairwell, having just moved in there to avoid being seen. Her hand was against her head and her thoughts were bouncing around in confusion.

"_I had no idea a bond had formed. I just assumed that it was part of my natural abilities." _Kursed stood up and faced the wall punching it in anger _"Its not fair! I left him behind! I'm different now! We've changed, I can't go back to him. And definitely not after the fake body shit I pulled." _she sighed as she stepped away from the wall and sat back down on the step. She closed her eyes and started to meditate, she had long since grown used to not using her powers, only really using them when in a desperate situation, but now that she was looking for it, she could feel Fox, sitting in his own little corner of her mind. She worked quickly to build up mental walls with in herself, locking away her memories of Krystal, and her changes to Kursed. If there was any chance the Fox could pull something from her mind, he might be able to figure out that she was Krystal.

The biggest issue was her own self doubt. Since being here, and being around him, even for as little as twelve hours, she realized how much she really missed it all, and the doubts of her decision from years ago were now starting to eat at her confidence.

Had she really done the right thing for herself, leaving him as she did?

_**Of course you did, you could never be happy being a housewife while he ran off to do missions. Besides, its not like you love him anymore, hes changed and so have you.**_

Kursed nodded to herself and stood up. "I don't love him anymore." she softly to herself, after a pause she added "Right?"

* * *

_**Okay, there ya have it, I'm sorry for how bad it was, but I do think that Chapter four will make up for as pretty much the whole thing focuses on Kursed and Fox, which lets be honest, that what you came to this story for. I also happen to think that chapter four is quite awesome so far.**_

_**Also, fun fact, I added Bio break downs on my profile pages for Fox, Kursed, Falco, and Katt, just to kinda give you an idea of why they act the way they do in the story. It's basic at the moment, but I will add more over time and as the story progresses. If you want to look at em, just head to my profile page and scroll down until you see –Star Fox: The Dead Planet- Also, random thought, just because its so late, or rather early for me, I really need to stop reading Cap. Fox's stories{speaking of, if you have not read Broken of Fate, please, go do yourself a favor and read them}, now I have an idea for another little Star Fox story, gah! I need to get back to my Ratchet and Clank stories, and finish Star Fox: ReArmed Conflict! So many ideas, so little time to write them out in.**_

_**Anyway, until the next chapter,**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	4. A Week with Intrest

_**Dun DUN DUN! DRAMA! ACTION! KURSED AND FOX INTERATION!**_

_**Okay, I just lied, not so much action, although there is a nifty little bit about halfway through, but this chapter is heavy, heavy, heavy, on the Kursed and Fox Drama that you all came to this story to see! Aren't you just so excited? I hope so, because I had WAY, WAY too much fun writing this chapter, especially the first bit, I honestly couldn't keep a shit eating grin off my face. Once again, thanks to Cpt. Fox for betaing this, because wow, there were a lot of mistakes for this one,I of course blame my muse for becoming active at 3am.**_

* * *

_Star Fox: _**The Dead Planet **_Chapter 4: _**A Week with Interest**

* * *

-DP- _Two Days Later_: **Fox's room **-DP-

* * *

Fox was sitting at the small desk he had tucked into the corner of his room when he heard a knock at his door. He set aside the reports that had been going over and glanced over his shoulder. "Enter." he called out as he turned back to the desk and his reports. He heard the door slide into the wall, then close as who ever walked in started working their way across the room. When nobody called out he figured it was Falco. That's why he wasn't too surprised when the blue paw touched down on the desk next to him.

"_Blue paw?"_

Fox turned his head to see Kursed leaning over him, looking at the report he had in his hands. "Interesting stuff." she said softly. Fox blinked as he took in her attire. She was wearing a large loose white shirt that hung past her hips and covered most of the cargo shorts that only went down to her knee caps. Around her neck hung a small necklace with a red gem inside of it, surrounded by gold leafs.

Fox blinked, the outfit, so similar to what he had last seen Krystal in, threw his mind off his game. As he stared at her, he watched one of her eyebrows raise. "Anything interesting you're looking at?" she paused and leaned down more, bringing her head close to his "Aside from me of course."

Fox blinked and pulled back slightly, leaning away in his chair as his brain managed to churn into gear and respond to her question. "Nothing interesting, just some reports from Peppy about Cerinia, scans mainly, you know the usual like how much water there is is, stuff like that." He turned his gaze back to the reports but stopped when she laid her paw on the data-pad, pushing it flat to the desk and out of his hands.

"We need to talk."

Fox paused and turned his head again, noticing just how close she had gotten. "Abo-About what?" he asked, cursing himself for stuttering at he did.

Kursed sighed and sat sat down on the edge of the desk. "You think I haven't noticed?"

Fox was silent for a moment, his brain sputtering to a halt again, as his heart rate increased. He inhaled to try and clear his mind, but instead he grew more confused.

"_She smells just like Krystal."_

Fox blinked again and managed to get control of his brain. He glanced up at Kursed again to see her watching him crossly, and he realized he still hadn't answered her question. "Is something wrong?"

Kursed scoffed and glanced at the ceiling. "I'm not blind Fox." she said, before returning her gaze to his. As they locked eyes again Fox blinked.

"_Is it me or are her eyes more green than normal?"_

She sighed again, breaking the eye contact as she blinked "Do you think I'm blind? Every time we pass in the halls, I know you're watching me. When I'm eating or even just standing around, you can't take your eyes off of me. Why is that?" As she said the last word she leaned down, putting an arm on the back of his chair and leaving him trapped against the wall.

Fox gulped hard "Uh..."

"_Why can't I talk? This is just like meeting Krystal all over again!"_

Kursed grinned at him, and he could tell she was pleased that he didn't have an answer for her. She leaned even closer, his ear twitching as he felt her breath on the top of his head. "Whats the matter Fox? Scared of getting Kursed?" she whispered oh so quietly.

Fox gulped again, his heart rate now approaching dangerous speeds. She laughed softly as she pulled away, moving her arm and leaning back on his desk. "Don't worry Fox, I don't bite." she paused and grinned, "Much."

Fox blinked "Uh, Kursed, I'm not sure what you're trying here, but I think that you need to leave."

Kursed frowned playfully. "But I haven't done what you asked me to yet."

While Fox tried to match the look on her face with the spiteful vixen he was used to, he couldn't help but ask in a very confused voice. "What did I ask you to do?"

Kursed grinned again. "This." she said, then moved forward suddenly and pressed their lips together. Fox felt his eyes widen in shock. But instead of trying to push her away, he returned the kiss, part of his mind screaming at him to stop what he was doing, while another small part of him, that one that had grown since he and Kursed had been near each other, soared in joy.

"_I need to stop this, now...But, it feels so right. Like the last time I kissed Krystal."_

When Kursed pulled away a full minute later, both of them had to take quick breaths to recover and to deal with the heat the kiss had caused. Fox remained surprised as Kursed gently laid a hand across his arm, giving him a gentle tug to stand up. He complied and followed her over to the bed, where she pushed him gently down onto it.

Some part of his mind was still trying to take control of his body, but was not strong enough to overpower the emotions that currently dominated him. Kursed crossed her arms as she reached down and grabbed the edges of her loose shirt. She winked at Fox before she pulled it up over head and exposing her chest to him. Much to his surprise, she wasn't wearing anything underneath. He gasped softly and she laughed quietly as she stepped onto the bed and dropped down to her knees, rising over him like some sort of goddess.

She stayed that way for a moment before she leaned down and crawled further up him. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do this again"

Fox blinked "What do you mean?" he asked softly as she leaned down and kissed the side of his neck.

She didn't pull away as she answered, instead choosing to let her voice vibrate his neck "This Fox, its been so long since I've done this with you."

Fox gasped softly as she bit his neck gently, his eyes closed and he moaned as she licked him right where she had bit him. She pulled away and he opened his eyes and gasped again. His gaze was pulled to her exposed arms, instead of the full dark blue that had been, they instead had the white shapes that decorated Krystal's arm. Fox turned his gaze and found Kursed rubbing her eyes, and each time she did so, they got a little less darker blue and a little bit more turquoise green.

Fox felt his throat go dry "Krystal?"

The vixen smiled as her purple hair fell down around her face. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Fox reached up and stroked the side of her face, still not believing what he was seeing. "But...why...how?" he paused and blinked away tears. "I buried you." another thought came to him then, one that scared him because he hoped it wasn't true. "Am I dreaming?"

Kursed...Krystal laughed at him softly, when she spoke though, a small frown appeared on her face and a tear leaked down into her fur "I hid you from Fox, I ran because I was scared that you would cage me. I'm sorry for everything I did, including making you think I was dead." She blinked and a few more tears rolled out of her eyes, she smiled at him as she leaned in close again, her paws grabbing his t-shirt and starting to pull it up. "As for if this is a dream? I don't really care right now...do you?"

Fox smiled and blinked tears out of his own eyes as well. "No...no I don't." Fox broke off as Krystal finished pulling off his shirt, as she moved her paws down to his jeans he leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I love you Krystal."

Krystal smiled at him and moved closer, taking his mouth for her own and continuing to work on his jeans. Fox groaned with years of pent up need as she managed to get the button undone and he reached for her own pants. As she slid the pants down and he did the same for her, she reached down and that was the last thing he cared about for some time.

Eventually, although Fox couldn't really recall how or when, they ended up underneath his bedspread together, her naked form wrapped around his own as she slept, his arms wrapped tight around her, he glanced down as she gave a small yawn and nuzzled against him as a grin grew across his face. Of course, even he had to sleep at some point, and with a yawn, he closed his own eyes, truly happy for the first time in years.

-DP-

Fox opened his eyes and looked around his darkened room. He groaned as he stood up from the chair at his desk. He looked down at the reports that he had fell asleep reading, then sighed and ran a paw over his face. He stretched and glanced at his gauntlet to check the time. He groaned again when he realized it was almost eleven in the morning. He glanced around his room, frowning as he remembered the very vivid dream. He turned to his dresser and pulled out a baggy pair of black running pants to swap his jeans for, he followed this up with a matching loose t-shirt that he pulled over himself. He grabbed a pair of tennis shoes and sat down on his bed to put them on. The very act somehow drawing his thoughts back to the dream. Fox sighed as he stood up.

"_I need to do something about this. Its only been two days, if this keeps up I might just go crazy."_

Although it might have been a dream, Fox realized that what had been said was true, he couldn't take his eyes off of Kursed. He was fairly sure she had noticed at least once, and he was grateful that she didn't make a scene of it. Of course if he didn't do something, confront her about it maybe, even though it was an impossible notion, it would mostly likely escalate into something before they reached Cerinia.

Making up his mind, Fox walked over to the intercom and paged ROB. "Locate Falco for me, will ya ROB?"

ROBs voice came out of the intercom a moment later "Falco is currently in the Armory on Deck Three."

Fox nodded to himself "Thanks, any alerts I need to know about?"

"None. All systems are running optimally."

"Thanks ROB. Let me know if anything changes." Fox took his hand of the intercom and exited his room, glancing down the hallway to see if anybody was around. As he looked across he realized Falco's door was open, and Katt was laying back on the bed, reading a book.

"Hey, have you see Kursed?"

Katt didn't even look up from her book. "Sunshine and rainbows? Yea, shes down beating the hell out of the sand bag in your rec room. Was really hard to read while she was there."

Fox nodded "Rec room, yea that will work."

Katt raised an eyebrow at him as she raised her gaze off the page in front of her, her earring swaying slightly as she did so. "Should I be worried?" she closed the book in front of her, keeping a finger in it to keep her place "Perhaps I should go get the med bay ready?"

Fox shook his head with a laugh. "No, I just need to talk to her about the mission is all. If it happens to be in the rec room where there is space to maneuver just in case she tries something? Better yet."

Katt narrowed her eyes as she flipped her book back open. "Uh-huh." she said softly, before turning her gaze back to the pages. She shrugged and settled deeper onto the bed. "Just remember, you're playing with fire. That vixen hates you to no end."

Fox nodded again, his thoughts once again on the dream he had "You don't have to tell me twice."

He gave her a wave and turned back towards the elevator. He called the elevator and stepped in when the doors opened instantly. He reached for the control panel and hit the switch for deck 3. As the doors closed and the elevator rose, Fox thought about how he was going to go about his talk with Kursed. Obviously a straight up conversation wouldn't work, Kursed hardly talked to him as is, and two days confined on the ship in space hadn't changed that. In fact she seemed to have grown more sullen and moody ever since they had left Corneria.

"_I'm sure my staring hasn't helped that any." _he tapped his chin as he thought _"Katt did say she was in the rec room, maybe there is a way I put my thoughts to rest and _not _have to bring up the possibility of her being..."_

The elevator doors slid open and Fox walked down the hallway, heading for the rec room, he stopped outside the closed door the led to the armory though and detoured into the room. Looking around at the various lockers and cages that held their gear it was obvious Falco wasn't there. Fox went to another door and hit the switch to open it.

He rolled his eyes as he found Falco doing what he expected, standing in the single firing lane that he requested be installed. In his hands he was holding a standard black blaster and was plunking beams down range into a target. Fox waited until he was done with his current round of shots before tapping him on the shoulder. The blue avian glanced at him before ejecting the energy crystal from the weapon and setting it down on the counter in front of him. "Whats up Fox?"

Fox gestured to the cramped area "What are you up to?"

Falco grinned as he reached down and picked up another energy crystal. "Just you know, testing weapons."

Fox folded his arms across his chest "Like you didn't do that at least once a month the entire time the ship was hiding. What are you really up to?"

Falco grinned at his friend "Honestly, hiding from our guest."

Fox shook his head "So I see I'm not the only one who noticed her worsening mood."

Falco grinned wider "Kursed? Nah man, I'm talking about Katt."

Fox chuckled gently as he was meant too. "Well then, wish me luck, cause I'm about to go talk to Kursed."

Falco raised an eyebrow as he loaded in another energy crystal and turned back to the firing lane "Do you need back up?"

Fox shook his head "No, I think that would make it worse." Fox turned to go. "But if you hear screams of pain, you should probably come check it out."

Falco laughed as he aimed down the sights of the blaster. "Well, good luck man." without further ado, Falco started sending more rounds down range.

Fox left him to it, exiting the armory and heading for the rec room. As he approached the open door, his ears twitched as heard the sounds of fists striking the hard leather of the sandbag. He stepped through the doorway and let his eyes roam across the room.

It wasn't exactly large for a rec room, but it suited the needs of the crew. The room was dominated by the large black training pad in the center of the room, a white circle inked onto it. Along the back wall was various exercise equipment, including a weight set. To the right sat a large green pool table, and on the left of the room sat two large sand bags. The one on the right was currently being used, that bag swinging back and forth on its chain as the blue vixen beat against it.

Fox took another moment to study her from behind. She was wearing what looked like black combat boots, most of which were covered by the long fabric of her green cargo pants, around her hip was lashed her white belt which stood out sharply against her pants, a low hanging blue t shirt revealed her lower back and when ever Fox saw one of the blurs of her hands it looked like she had wrapped it with the boxers tape kept near by on the wall. Her purple hair was pulled back into its usual pony tail and it swung back and forth with each punch, along with her tail.

Fox took another step forward and Kursed stopped, her ears twitching as she waited with quite breaths, the only sound coming from the chain of the sandbag as it swung back and forth, gently swinging to a stop. Fox paused as well, watching Kursed. For a full minute neither of them moved, then Kursed shook her head and turned around "What do you want?" she asked sharply, her frown in place just like he expected.

Fox finished stepping into the room. "Nothing, just watching."

Kursed lifted her middle finger at him as her tail twitched in anger behind her "Go watch something else." she said as she turned back around to the sandbag.

Fox raised an eyebrow before walking around her to where the roll of boxers tape sat on its wall peg. Kursed ignored him as she continued to beat on the heavy bag. Fox took the tape and walked over to the fight area that dominated the room. He started wrapping his paw in tape as he spoke up. "That's not good practice, you know?"

Kursed delivered a strong kick to the bag then stepped out of the way as she finally used enough force to cause the bag to come back at her. "What are you talking about Dropout?"

Fox frowned as he brought the tape up to his mouth and used his eyetooth to rip it. "The bag, it only keeps up your strength, it never keeps you ready for an actual fist fight."

Kursed turned around as Fox was wrapping his other paw. "Are you offering?" she asked with a hand on her hip. "I don't pull any punches, not even in a practice fight."

Fox glanced down at his wrapped paw, trying not to think about the pose she was in. "Good. Neither do I." he replied as he ripped the tape with his tooth again and looked up, his face hardening slightly as he watched her step up to the pad. She cracked her neck and each of her fingers before settling into a fighters stance, her legs braced slightly apart and fists raised.

She shrugged her shoulders once "Alright then, lets see what you got."

Fox threw the tape to the side, then copied her stance and Kursed found herself wondering what was about to happen. Sure the team had spared while she had been there, but Fox had only ever fought her with training staffs, something she beat him at easily. When ever it came time for them to have a fist fight, he would always back out. She let a small grin slip across her muzzle as she realized she was excited to find out what Fox could really do.

For another moment, the two of them just stared at each other, then Kursed moved a step to her right and Fox countered with one to his left. Kursed kept moving, with Fox making sure to always stay directly across from her, they made a lap on the mat before Kursed got bored and moved forward with a couple of hops, throwing her weight behind a powerful right hook.

That hit nothing, Kursed braced herself for a counter blow as she backed up to the edge of the ring, but she found Fox, still with his arms raised, watching her from his end of the mat. She frowned slightly as she realized that a straight up brute attack probably wasn't going to work against the speedy vulpine. She stood her ground for a few moments more before taking a quick step in, after a moment, Fox stepped forward as well, keeping his fists raised.

Kursed moved forward another few small steps with Fox copying her until they were within easy arms reach of each other. They stayed that way for another moment before Kursed threw a left hook at the side of his head, Fox ducked under the blow and stood up, still in a defensive pose, and still not attacking her. Kursed frowned a little bit more as she let loose with a right and left before dropping down to try for a body shot. Fox used his arms to deflect the punches away from his body, then nimbly dodged the body shot with a quick shuffle to the side.

Kursed stood up, her arms raised in defense for any attack he might have coming, but again, Fox was just standing there, studying her. She growled softly in anger before unleashing a flurry of punches aimed at breaking his guard. But every single one Fox easily just redirected past his body with his arms or just dodged away, always just in enough time that Kursed could feel the loose fabric of his shirt. She kept this up for a few minutes before she pulled her weary arms back into a defensive position to try and give them a break. She took a step back, and Fox took a step forward.

She took another step back and Fox repeated his step forward, dimly she was aware of the fact that she was on the boarder line that would serve as a forfeit and Fox was still with in easy reach of her. Trying one last thing, she reached out with her arms to try and grab the vulpine and swing him over the line and that was when Fox struck.

It wasn't a hard blow, but it was right on her chest, and it had enough force that it elicited a small gasp of pain from her as she recoiled from the punch and stepped over the line. Fox immediately relaxed and took a few steps away, leaving Kursed looking at him confused for a moment before she looked down and realized that her foot was over the line. She growled at her own stupidity.

"You played me." she growled softly.

Fox shrugged "It wasn't hard, you did most of the work yourself. I just waited until you got to the edge of the ring, then waited for you to open up for an attack."

Kursed scoffed "Yea, most fights don't have a disqualifying line."

Fox was silent for a moment, "Then lets make this a real fight."

Kursed raised an eyebrow at him.

Fox sighed "Take off your boots, I'll take off my shoes, first to five body hits wins."

Kursed thought about it for a moment. "Fine, any stakes?"

Fox smiled "Yea, if I beat you without you ever getting a real hit on me, you stop treating us like dirt and act like a team player. At least some of the time anyway."

Kursed nodded "If I agree to that, I only need to hit you once to win the match, and if I win, you all piss off and leave me alone for the rest of this trip."

Fox paused and nodded "I'll make the deal for myself, but I'm not going to order Falco and Katt around like that, if they choose to do it, fine by me."

Kursed nodded "Okay" then she swung, a brutal and powerful uppercut that would have nailed Fox right under his ribcage, if Fox hadn't seen her move coming and stepped back out of range, raising his fists in defenses as Kursed followed him across the mat, throwing powerful blows onto his arms that caused him to move back every time they hit.

Fox dodged another one of her hits and side stepped, swinging his fist out and striking her in the right side of her ribs. Kursed gasped at the pain and took a few steps away, Fox let her with a grim smile. "That's one Kursed."

Kursed shook her arms loose and held them in a low guard "I can count Dropout."

Fox relaxed his pose, dropping his arms to the side, Kursed raised an eyebrow before taking a step forward. She faked a swing at him, and he still did nothing, just stood there, staring at her. She scoffed and took another step forward, pulling her arm back to swing. "Do you ever commit to anything?" she asked crossly as she swung.

She saw it in his eyes first, they seemed to darken slightly as his gaze narrowed, then she saw the frown on his mouth, and by that time, her fist was well on its way to connecting with nothing, because Fox _moved._

Kursed thought back to all the ground fights she and Fox had ever been in, and none of them compared to the speed, force, and sheer beauty involved in his attack. It actually took her a moment to reconstruct what happened in her mind.

It started with the punishing blow he delivered to her left side, as she moved to side step he struck her in her right side again, in the exact same spot as before, except harder. She hissed a little at the pain, then shammed a fake move with his left hand before slamming her in the upper chest with his right, sending her stumbling back. As she recovered, Fox stuck out a leg and hooked his foot behind her knee, pulling forward and collapsing the joint, sending her stumbling to one knee and using her left arm to brace on the ground so she didn't end up on face first in the mat. Fox forced her onto the mat though when he delivered a punishing hammer blow to her left shoulder blade, the pain causing her arm to collapse and her to fall face first in the mat.

"That's five." he said softly, slowly massaging his knuckles.

Kursed groaned softly as the last shakes of sharp pain faded away to a dull ache. She turned her head to the side and glared up at Fox. "Little hard." she said softly.

Fox leaned down, "You said a real fight." he held out a hand for her to take. She glared at it for a moment, before he spoke up with a smug smile. "Remember the deal?"

Kursed groaned but took the hand and he pulled her to her feet. She looked down and away before muttering "Thanks."

Fox laughed, "You don't have to sound like it pains you to be nice to me. Although you most likely will be pushed to your limits by Falco."

Kursed groaned again and walked towards the hallway. She paused as Fox called out "Same time tomorrow?"

Kursed turned around but kept walking backwards "Why, you beat me."

Fox shrugged "It was a fun fight, and Falco doesn't like to mix it up with me, and we got to pass the time some way right?"

Kursed paused as she reached the door, she turned around with a hand in the air. "Fine."

* * *

-DP- _Five Days Later:_ **Rec Room **-DP-

* * *

Kursed rolled to her side so she could give him a glare with both eyes. "You regularly pretend to give up in all your fights?"

Fox gave a shrug before dropping and sitting down next to her, crossing his legs as he did so. "You would be surprised how many drunks will relax their guard when you do that."

Ever since that first fight, Kursed and Fox usually met at some point in the rec room to have a practice fight. Today was no different, and Kursed was once again defeated and sitting on the mat, only this time Fox had dropped down to join her, and apparently talk.

Kursed rolled onto her back and lifted her self up with her arms until she was sitting like Fox, only she kept her legs stretched out in front of her. "Get into a lot of fights with drunks?"

Fox popped his neck before answering. "You look like her you know?"

Kursed raised an eyebrow. Fox grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, you look like my wife, or I guess I should just say my ex-wife."

Fox held up his paw and for the first time Kursed saw the little glint of gold that revealed the presence of a wedding ring. Inside her, Kursed felt some rise up at the sight of the ring, something she had buried a long time ago. Outside she just glanced away towards the wall. "I'm going to regret asking: divorced right?"

Fox sighed and shook his head. "No." he said softly. "She was murdered."

Kursed narrowed her eyes. "Look, McCloud, I'll hold to our deal, but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you sob about your dead wife."

Fox nodded "You asked about the drunk fights and her murder is what caused me to start drinking. I spent most of the time getting drunk in some dingy apartment that Falco and I shared, but every now and then I went out to get plastered. Thinking about it now, I think some part of me wanted a fight to erupt." he paused and grinned at her "It usually did, and it was usually my fault, hence the drunk fights."

Kursed nodded "Okay, so she died and you what tried to drink her away?"

Fox nodded again. "You could say that, if you ask Falco though, I was trying to drink myself to death or get somebody to kill me. If it wasn't for him, well, I wouldn't be here right now."

Kursed stared at him before Fox sighed and held out an empty hand, staring at it like there was something there. "I can still feel the weight of Falco's revolver, what the metal tasted like when I put it in my mouth."

Kursed blinked while inside that long buried feeling wanted to recoil away from herself and reach out to comfort Fox. She had no idea that he had been so destroyed by what she did. She knew that he had tried to track her down with private eyes and bounty hunters, and she had seen the pictures of him crying after her 'body' had been discovered. But he seemed to move on so quickly.

Kursed stopped to think about that, she had faked her death during an off season for racing and she knew Fox and Falco had vanished off the map for a few months. But had it really gotten that bad? Kursed pulled her attention away from her thoughts and back to Fox who was still just staring at his paw, lost in his memories.

"So you tried to off yourself." her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to face her. "That's kinda pathetic, I won't lie, little disappointed in you for trying something like that." she paused and turned her gaze to the wall."I thought Star Fox and its team was made of sterner stuff."

Fox huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, so did I. It wasn't until I lost Krystal that I realized how weak I really was. Its easy to seem like a badass when you have nothing to lose, and after you lose it..." He paused "It was Falco's idea, the G-Zero Racers, he was sick of dragging my drunk ass home after Krystal left, I agreed, but after we found her body, alcohol seemed like the only thing that helped."

Kursed nodded "So the point of this whole touchy feely crap story was to tell me why you got into so many drunk fights?"

Fox laughed softly as he stood up. "Yea, I guess it was. You got a problem with that?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "Well, I would give a normal response, but since I lost that bet, all I have to say is 'no sir.'"

Fox laughed again before he turned and started walking towards the door, unwrapping the tape from his paws as he did so. He stopped when Kursed spoke as she stood up.

"Is that why you're always watching me? I remind you of Her?"

Kursed watched as his shoulders stiffened. He glanced over at her. "Yeah."

Kursed opened her mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by Katt's voice coming out of the speaker in the ceiling._"Hey Fox, you still in the rec room?"_

Fox walked over to the intercom and pressed a button ."Yea, I'm here, what's up?"

Katt's voice came back _"Uh, we got an issue on the crew deck, you might want to get down here and check it out."_

Fox glanced over at Kursed before entering the hallway, Kursed following him, curious as to what had happened. A few short moments later the elevator doors opened to reveal Katt standing outside of Kursed's door, rubbing her feet dry with a towel. As Fox walked up and glanced into the room, Kursed hung further back in the hallway.

After a moment Fox called out. "Hey, Kursed, I don't suppose you feel like sleeping in your ship for the next week?"

Kursed raised an eyebrow and walked over to the doorway, looking into her room and seeing the ceiling panel that had fallen to the floor and the water that dripped out of it. Katt chose this moment to speak up, "Well, I guess Falco lied when he said the ship was in prime shape."

Fox turned to look at her as Kursed looked down and realized that the carpet was soaked all the way until it turned into the metal of the corridor. She glanced over at Katt who was holding up the towel. "When I got wet feet I opened your door to see what had happened, I had ROB shut off the water to the room, but everything in there appears to be pretty well soaked."

Kursed turned her gaze back to Fox who was looking back at the room. "Well, got another room for me McCloud?" Fox turned his gaze on her and she shrugged "I like my ship, but a real bed is a real bed."

Fox was silent for a moment before he nodded "Alright, down here."

He led her down the hall towards her old room he went in first and when she rounded the corner she saw him turn on the table side lamp and put something in his pocket. He turned to her and gestured around at the room. "Well, here you go, try not to wreck this one."

Kursed scoffed, "Like the pipe breaking was my fault."

Fox shrugged, "Hey, you never know." with that Fox walked out of the room and went down the hall, a few moments later she heard his door shut. Kursed walked over to the door controls, closing and locking her own door before turning back to her old room. She walked over to the dresser and laid a finger on an open drawer, thinking hard she was fairly sure that she had left this drawer open when she had left. Kursed turned to face the table where she had thought Fox had grabbed something, she walked over and laid a hand on the worn stool sitting next to the bed before her eyes got drawn to a slightly darker spot on the surface of the bed side table.

Almost as if Fox had left her note there all this time.

Kursed blinked and sat down on the bed, she rubbed the back of her neck gently as she looked around the room. He had left it for her, the exact way she had left it...just in case she came back.

Kursed sighed _"Well, I'm back, only Fox doesn't know it, and he can never know." _Kursed paused in her own thoughts to look around the room again. _"He still wears his wedding band, and he still refers to me as his wife. I was in the right when I left, I know it. But how come I feel like I shouldn't be here now, like I've sullied the ship with my presence and my lies?"_

Kursed shook her head to try and dislodge that last thought and turned her mind to the first fight that they had. She had been trying to avoid contact with Fox by snapping at him over every little thing and being as rude and crass as possible, yet Fox had still come to find her. Then there was the fight itself, Fox had moved with a savage grace that she had never seen him use before, in fact compared to all the training fights they had, he never really moved like that, he would always telegraph his moves somehow, almost as if he was letting her know...

Kursed blinked as she realized something. _"He threw his fights with me." _she paused in admiration_ "He threw his fights with me and it took me eight years and a real fight for me to realize it. But why did he always throw them? Did he just not want to hurt me?"_

Kursed made another realization right then, and it sickened her. Fox was still loyal to her even after all this time when he thought she was dead, he still kept her in his heart after everything she had done. A normal person would have moved on, but then she had fallen in love with him because he wasn't normal. He was brave, and loyal to a fault, and...

She still loved Fox McCloud.

Kursed blinked as she realized that was what the feeling from the conversation had been about. She still loved him, and when he told her about trying to kill himself. She was _afraid, _afraid that she had almost killed Fox by faking her own death. He still wanted to be with her, and was ready to kill himself to do it.

Kursed sighed and leaned forward on , burying her face in her hands. _"What's wrong with me? I've been around him for a week and all my anger at him is gone, replaced by feelings that I told myself I could never feel for him again."_

Kursed sighed and raised her head, thinking back to that dream that she had last week, before Fox had come down to find her in the rec room. In it she had gone into Fox's room and revealed who she was, and he had just accepted it, it had ended with them in bed together and had felt so _real, _and so _right_.

Kursed sighed as she pulled her legs up and took a few deep breaths, perhaps if she meditated for a bit, it would clear her thoughts.

Fox was in his own room, pacing, and trying to figure out why he had told Kursed about Krystal, and that he tried to kill himself. He gave a huff of anger as he played the conversation again in his mind, it had just slipped out like it was something she needed to know. The end of the conversation also confirmed what he suspected, Kursed was well aware of him watching her, the thing is, why hadn't she seemed more upset?

Fox sighed and moved over to his desk, throwing himself down in the chair and rubbing his head. It all seemed wrong, and yet right. He didn't know why, but for some reason he was opening up to Kursed just like he had with Krystal. Was it just because she was a Cerinian , or because she looked so painfully like Krystal?

As he sat there and thought, he idly rubbed the side of his head, where that feeling had formed and sat since Kursed came aboard his ship. While his thoughts were on her, a different thought drifted into his mind, something that seemed odd for him to think.

"_-love Fox McCloud-"_

Fox blinked and sat up straighter in his chair, breathing hard. The last time something like that had happened had been with Krystal. Was he picking up on Kursed's thoughts? He closed his eyes and focused on that feeling.

"_-anger at him is gone-"_

Fox opened his eyes and stood up from his chair, looking down at the floor. This wasn't right. Fox knew that it couldn't be right. He still loved Krystal, even though he could never have her anymore, and here he was, feeling like he was falling for this bounty hunter. Fox glanced down at his hand where his wedding band gleamed at him, it's glow urging him away from Kursed, yet still, there was that part of him that screamed at him to go for it, that this could be his chance.

Fox frowned, he needed to do something about this now. He walked over to his door and hit the switch to open it, moving down the hallway to Kursed's door. He knocked sharply and waited for her to answer. When the door finally slid open Fox glanced away for a moment before meeting her eyes. "We need to talk."

* * *

_**See, what did I tell you?**_

_**Also, this chapter was originally going to cover the two weeks to Cerinia, but that would have quite easily broke 30 pages, and while I love long chapters, I would never have been able to get that up and have it be properly done by my weekly goal. This is properly done right? I've said this before, but I'll say it again, I'm a mediocre writer at best, so please, let me know if you spot anything out of place with a review, or just leave your thoughts on the chapter, remember, the more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to work on this story, and you all have been very good at that so far.**_

_**Okay, and I know I'm not supposed to do this, but screw it anyway, Guest Review Reply!**_

_**4RT: Yes, this is a much different Star Fox, like I said at the start I mixed a lot of endings together from Command for the background of this story. As for Krystal, well, running off and living with criminals for eight years can have the affect on people. As for second guessing, what about this chapter eh? Thanks for the review!**_

_**Fpastrello: I'm glad you are enjoying, and I would be lying if I said there weren't some parts of this story where I had too much fun with the conversation bits. Thanks for your review and I hope you'll keep reading!**_

_**Anyway...Next Chapter, we get to start off with a talk and end up at Cerinia, oh this will be fun. In the mean time, in case some of you aren't aware, Broken II by Cpt. Fox {Boy I've been mentioning him a lot this chapter} Went up a few days ago, and if for some reason you have yet to read it, please, go do so now, and if for some reason you haven't read the original Broken, well, you're missing out.**_

_**Edit 1-23-12: Wow, Ten reviews in under 24 hours, I cannot, even begin to describe how awesome all of you just made my day. I really was not really looking forward to today, dentist appointment and lot of busy body stuff, but damn, seeing my inbox light up with reviews made my day so much better. Thank you all, and now, since you were all so kind, I shall have to work on chapter 5 asap.  
**_

_**Right-O, I think that's all,**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	5. A Week of Change

_**Well, Hello again all, I hope today finds you well, my day sucks, in the past twenty four hours my area has been buried under almost a foot of snow. Nobody was ready for it, we thought it was done for the year. Oh well, I love the snow to much to really complain. Anyway, before I head to bed and look forwa5rd to my big exciting day off plowing my driveway, I thought I might stop by and upload another chapter of Dead Planet for you, enjoy. Again, big thanks to Cpt. Fox for betaing, as he helped me get through a sticky part with this chapter.**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_ **The Dead Planet**_ Chapter 5: _**A Week of Change**

* * *

Kursed was meditating in her room, her legs pulled up in a cross in front of her when the knock echoed through her room. She frowned at the interruption, but unfolded her legs and stood up, heading for the door. She palmed the switch to unlock and open it, as much as she wished she could leave it locked, and looked out to find Fox gazing down the hallway. When the door slid open though he quickly turned his gaze to her face, and she saw something...deep, in his eyes.

"We need to talk."

Kursed scoffed and brushed past him, heading for the elevator, while inside her mind she felt fear spark at his words. Had he figured out who she was? She was halfway down the hallway when she heard him sigh.

He called out to her as she hit the button to open the elevator doors. "Kursed, I mean it, this is important."

She glanced over her shoulder as she stepped into the elevator and pressed a button, as the doors closed she called out in return. "Then you better follow me."

Fox watched the doors close before he let out a huff of anger. He walked over the the panel and watched as the elevator stopped on deck 3. He shook his head as he pressed the button to summon the elevator, and took the time for its doors to open thinking unpleasant thoughts about Kursed, which he hoped she could hear.

He kept up this line of thinking until the doors slid closed and the elevator started to rise to level 3. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself for the conversation up ahead. No matter what, he was going to get this talk done with Kursed before the night was over.

He walked down the hallway and into the open doorway of the rec room, wondering if he guessed right. He had.

Kursed was standing in the middle of the training ring, her hands still wrapped in boxers tape from the sparring match they had before Katt had called them down. Fox took a moment to take in todays outfit. She had gone for as much black as possible, starting with the loose black cargo jeans she had on, her matching t-shirt was loose and her purple hair was secured by a black hair band, her black boots were already off to the side of the mat.

Fox meanwhile was dressed in the counter colors of loose blue jeans and a white shirt tucked in and held up with a brown belt. He had put on his white tennis shoes, but as he walked towards the ring, he caught the heel of each shoe with his foot and kicked out of them, leaving them where they landed as he walked to the edge of the ring.

He stared at Kursed for a long moment before she popped her neck and spoke. "You wanted to talk?" she dropped into her fighting stance "Lets talk."

Fox frowned "I meant an actual talk, with words, not fists."

Kursed shook her head. "Too bad, that's the deal, if you want to whine to me some more, it'll be while we fight."

Fox glanced away before moving to where the roll of boxers tape was sitting on the ground, he grabbed it and quickly wrapped both of his paws, stepping into the ring and throwing the tape towards the sandbags. "Fine, first to pin for five seconds wins." He had barely raised his fists into a high guard before Kursed launched into an attack, bringing up her left leg in a punishing kick aimed at his head.

As Fox ducked the attack he spoke up. "How much training do you have in your powers?"

Kursed responded as she backed away from Fox, making sure to stay out of range of his fists, and away from the edge of the ring. "Enough."

Fox frowned as he took a quick hop forward and threw a quick right jab that she blocked before side stepping his left swing. "I need to know Kursed."

Kursed tried to sweep his legs as she responded "My past is my business McCloud, and nobody needs to know it."

Fox leaped over her kick and landed with a growl. "Normally I would leave it at that, but I need to know what you'll contribute to the mission." Fox paused as he ducked another high kick, he opened his mouth to start again but closed it.

"And..." Kursed drawled out as she threw a quick left and got her arm locked into a grip.

Fox shook his head as Kursed brought her leg up and wrapped it around his, moving her body around and torquing his arm so that he had to let go of his grip on her. "I saw that pause McCloud, there was something else. Spill."

Fox sighed inwardly "Fine. There is also a personal reason I want to know."

Kursed grinned slightly "That's better, a talk is a two way street McCloud, you want to know about my training, I need to know why you care."

Fox stepped away from Kursed, "Fine, in your training, do you know of any type of mental bond?"

Kursed's next move was enough of an answer, her right hook went wide and Fox shammed her with his left as he landed a hard blow on her shoulder with his own right. Fox noted that reaction to ask about later as she answered. "Every child on Cerinia knows about the Bond. According to legends, it forms when two Cerinians meet their soul mate."

Fox nodded as he ducked another fist "And it can only happen with Cerinians?"

Kursed managed to shrug as she danced away from his fists, for once using her speed to try and keep an edge in their fight. "I wouldn't know, I never had a bond form with anybody out here in Lylat."

Fox moved forward a few steps trying to keep her in range. "Nobody else ever mentioned anything like it?"

Kursed scoffed "Cerinia wasn't exactly a tourist trap when it was still around McCloud. Nobody I know of ever had something like that happen."

Fox nodded "So lets say a Bond did form between a Cerinian and a Non-Cerinian, what happens with a normal bond?"

Kursed paused and ducked under one of his fists. "Well, from what I was told, those who had the Bond could sometimes pick up on what their partner was thinking, even if they currently weren't looking in their mind. Also, always knowing where their partner was." Kursed lashed out with another high kick "Of course that's with two Cerinians."

Fox rolled away from the kick and stood up near the edge of the mat, relaxing his pose. Kursed stayed back, she had fallen for similar tricks too much in the past week to be fooled so easily. Fox glanced down at the ground, before he raised his gaze to Kursed, grabbing her eyes with his, and Kursed knew, this was the question that he had wanted to ask all along. "What happened with one of the partners of the Bond died?"

Kursed relaxed her own pose as she realized what Fox was asking, she thought about lying, but knew that there was too high of a chance that he would pick up on it. "Not many want to talk about something like that McCloud." she paused "All I know is what I've seen, partners falling to the street, holding their heads in pain. Everybody just knew what had happened, and they mourned."

Fox folded his arms and took a step closer "But not you right?"

Kursed narrowed her eyes "Don't pretend to know me McCloud."

Fox took another step closer "What happened after words? Could the surviving partners form a Bond with somebody else?"

Kursed shook her head, answering without thinking about the reasons Fox would ask that question. "No, once a Bond is formed, it stays with that one person forever."

Fox frowned and turned away from her. "Then how do you explain a Bond between us?"

It was Kursed's turn to frown. "I can't, since there isn't a Bond between us."

"Liar."

Kursed took a step forward "Excuse me?!"

Fox turned around "You've known about a Bond between us for almost a week, I can feel it, you knew." Fox paused "And your scared by it, scared because there's something your hiding from me, something you don't want me to know."

Kursed moved at that moment, sweeping his legs and taking him down, she fell down on top of him pinning him to the mat. She snarled in his face. "Just say it McCloud, say whats on your mind!"

Fox growled as he shifted his weight and managed to roll them both over so that he was on top and had her pinned. He lowered his face close to hers "Who are you _really_?" he whispered in a desperate voice, a voice full of pain and long buried suffering.

Kursed struggled against his hold, but she quickly realized that he had her well and truly pinned, and there was almost nothing she could do that would allow her escape in the few seconds remaining to her. "You think I'm _her_...don't you?_" _she asked, trying to remain cold and aloof in her voice, but letting some of what she was feeling inside break through. Thinking quickly, and acting on desperation and a longing desire to feel his lips against hers once more, she reached her head up and brushed her mouth against his, feeling his body loosen up and watching as his eyes flew wide with shock and surprise.

In that moment she brought her knee up striking him in between the legs. As he groaned in pain she rolled them over again and held the pin. When she reached a count of five inside her head she stood up and walked away from him. "That's five, you lose McCloud." she said as she leaned up against the pool table.

Fox laid where he was breathing heavily, after a moment he spoke. "You didn't answer my question."

Kursed scoffed, while inside she was relieved that he didn't ask about the kiss. "Are you really so obsessed over this Krystal chick that you think any Cerinian is her? Got a news flash for ya, we're going to planet full of people that are going to look like her, so I suggest you get over it." she paused "Why do you care anyway?"

Fox growled and turned away from Kursed, walking over to the sandbags. He huffed out in anger once before he spoke up. "Because I _fucked up!_ That's why!"

Kursed was silent for a moment, surprised at the sudden language. "How did you fuck up? The Great Fox McCloud never fucks up."

Fox was silent for a moment. "I fucked up, and I drove away the one thing I loved in this system."

Kursed blinked, "Geez, you're really torn up about this." she turned her head and scoffed "What a baby. I can't believe I need to guide you on Cerinia." A thought came to Kursed at that moment. "Lets try an experiment, since you seem convinced I'm Krystal, act like it."

Fox turned to face her. "What?"

Kursed shrugged "I need you to get over all of this shit, I don't need to have to go back to that hare and tell him you died on Cerinia because you weren't paying attention." Kursed pushed off the table and took a step towards the ring. "So, pretend I'm Krystal, pretend that you got a chance to make it up to her, what would you say?"

Fox was silent for a long moment, staring at the ground by his feet, eventually when he spoke it was in a soft voice. "I would apologize."

Kursed sighed as she took a step back and leaned against the pool table again. "To my face McCloud, not the floor."

Fox raised his head and spoke in a louder voice, some how managing inside his head to go along with Kursed's idea. He took a moment to imagine Kursed as Krystal, with her turquoise eyes, blue hair, and white tattoos. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost see Krystal leaning against the pool table, frowning at him, instead of Kursed. "I want to apologize. I'm sorry for trying to protect you, I should have known better, but after we got married. The thought of losing you, it just...I couldn't handle it anymore. I wanted to protect you so I would never lose you, and in doing so, I cost you your life." he paused. "I'm sorry. I would give anything to undo that mistake."

Kursed was silent for a long moment, then she broke the image that Fox had built in his head. "Well, that was pathetic, but I'm not her, so maybe she would have gone for it." Kursed walked towards the sandbags. "I suggest you get this thought through your head McCloud. I'm not Krystal, and you missed your chance a long time ago."

Fox walked towards the doorway, as he reached it he put a hand out to steady himself before he glanced at Kursed over his shoulder. She was back to hitting the punching bag and had already dismissed him. He sighed softly. "Why did you kiss me?" he asked quietly.

Kursed's movements paused for a moment.

Fox turned back to the hallway "In the fight just now, why did you kiss me?"

Kursed didn't say anything for a full minute, she just kept punching the bag, after a while Fox just scoffed and moved through the door "You know what, I don't care, I'm sick of tip toeing around you Kursed. Do whatever you want, just leave me the hell out of it." as he said the last he slammed his palm against the switch for the rec room door and it slid shut behind him. Fox glanced at the door once before he stormed down the hallway.

Inside the rec room, Kursed paused in her punches to run a paw underneath one of her eyes and wipe away the tear that sat there. After a while she dropped her stance and just stood there with fists clenched. "I kissed you, because I miss you." Kursed sighed and punched the bag again. "You weren't the only one to make a mistake that day Fox." she glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. "It just took me eight years to realize it" she sighed once more and her shoulders shook with a silent sob as she dropped to her knees. _"What have I done?"_

* * *

-_Three Days Later: _**Hanger Bay**-

* * *

Fox hadn't seen Kursed since their last little talk, he had been avoiding the rec room all together, and Kursed had taken to staying locked away inside Krystal's room, only coming out to get something to eat after they had all finished with their own food. She was still civil with Falco and Katt when she bumped into them, calling them by their last name, but both her and Fox did what ever they could to make sure their paths didn't cross.

"_And I'm okay with that." _Fox thought darkly to himself as he sat on the wing of his Arwing, a panel open in front of him leading to one of his G-Diffuser engines. Laid out next to him was a schematic for the engine and Fox was just replacing the last part he had taken out and locking it down with its bolts.

"_I'm done trying to figure out Kursed. I just want this mission over and done with."_ Fox sighed as he reached in with his wrench and started tightening the bolts, making sure they were all secure. _"After this is done, I can go back to being a G-Zero Racer, and forget about Kursed entirely."_

"_Can I really?"_

Fox paused as he questioned himself.

"_It was hard enough quitting after Krystal left, if I hadn't been drunk most of the time, I would probably have stayed flying. But I'm over that now, can I really just give it up again and go back to being a G-Zero Racer?" _Fox paused and looked around the hanger. He couldn't lie to himself, ever since they had left Corneria, something had clicked inside of him, something just felt right. _"I am over Krystal right?"_

Fox turned back to his open engine hatch. He spoke the next words aloud to himself "I am, if anything, this business with Kursed proves that I can't let Krystal rule my life anymore." Fox sighed and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white through his fur as he pressed in on his palms. "I can't pretend that Kursed doesn't affect me. But I can't let my obsession with Krystal run my life."

Fox sat that way for a moment, before he sighed, turning back to his thoughts, _"Who am I kidding? I'll never be over Krystal. I still refer to that room as Krystal's." _Fox blinked once as he felt his mind draw him into the past once more.

* * *

-_Great Fox II: _**Hanger Bay, Nine and a Half years ago**-

* * *

_Fox played with the small bow tie hanging from his neck once more, next to him Falco sighed and pushed him gently with his elbow. "Knock it off Fox, everybody is already staring up here, no reason for them to know how nervous you are."_

_Fox glanced at his friend before turning his gaze out towards the small group sitting in chairs in front of him, taking in the everybody that Falco had pointed out. This included Peppy Hare, Lucy Hare, Bill Gray, Beltino Toad, and Dash Bowman. Behind the row of chairs a large amount of space had been cleared out, standing, or sitting in this space was, Garunda Te, The old King and Queen Earth Walker, the Queen Cloudrunner, and Tricky, the New King Earth Walker and his wife the new Queen Earth Walker._

_Fox turned his head to the right to take in Falco, looking smug in his tux and the smaller form of Slippy Toad, also in a tux. He saw Slippy brush away a piece of lint and it had Fox turning his gaze down to his own tux to check again and make sure that it was spotless. He turned his gaze to the left and took in Katt Monroe, wearing a pink dress that was all frills and ran down to just below her knees, exposing her matching pink shoes that she was wearing, next to her stood Amanda Toad, She was wearing a traditional white dress that ran to the floor, and he watched as she kept glancing towards Slippy._

_He raised his gaze to the Arwings that were hanging from their docks above him, somebody had taken to hanging a bunch of white streamers from the ship, and Fox grinned slightly at the abundance of white that was everywhere in the hanger. This included the white stand where General Pepper stood, a black book in his hand. He was wearing his red uniform and cap, but they seemed bright and more official that what he normally wore._

_The only other red item in the hanger was the red strip of carpet that ran down in front of Fox and in between his friends towards the shuttle that sat near the hanger doors. As if his thoughts had started the whole process, the shuttles door dropped down and Fox felt his eyes go wide._

_He saw her foot first, she was wearing white heels and her wedding dress was longer on one side then the other, leaving her left leg exposed, allowing everybody there to see the white tattoo that sat on her thigh. The dress was just as frilly as Katt's but for some reason, looked better, maybe it was because Krystal was wearing it. In her hands she held a bouquet of blue flowers wrapped in white string and she took the steps down from the shuttle with her eyes closed. She opened them as her foot touched down on the red carpet and her eyes locked onto Fox's like a laser. Fox took in her face, she was smiling slightly, and he could see the wet fur around her eyes, 'Tears of Joy' he thought to himself. She had pulled her hair back into a pony tail, but instead of using normal hair bands to wrap it, it was lined with her white beads and wrapped with her silver buckles, her tail was twitching nervously behind her as music started drifting through the hanger._

_She glanced down at the ground with a grin before she started walking down the pathway in front of her, past the Dinosaurs of Sauria, and past the row of her friends, who were all standing now. She walked up to the white stand where General Pepper was and turned to face Fox._

_Fox hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her, he took a step forward and held out a hand which she took._

"_Ready?" he asked her softly._

_She glanced at Pepper, he grinned and nodded at her before turning her gaze to Fox. "Yes."_

_General Pepper launched into a prepared speech about them, but Fox wasn't listening anymore, he was just staring at her, after all this time, he couldn't believe that it was finally happening._

_He was getting married._

_He jumped slightly as he realized Falco was holding out a pair of rings next to him. He grinned at his friend as he took them, he took Krystal's ring and gently took her hand. As he slid it over her finger he spoke up. "Krystal, will you accept this ring? Will you agree to be my wife and mate forever? Never to lose our bonds until death do us part?"_

_Krystal looked at the ring on her finger for a moment before she raised her gaze to his. "I do." she took his ring out his open palm and slid it over his finger. "Fox McCloud, will you accept my ring? Will you agree to be my husband and mate forever? Never to lose our bonds until death do us part?"_

_Fox didn't even blink for a moment, inside he was reeling, she had said yes, this blue goddess in front of him had agreed. He blinked and smiled at her. "I do." he said softly._

_General Pepper's smiled grew even wider "By the power vested in me by the Cornerian government, I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife."_

_Fox leaned forward and watched as she closed her eyes, their lips touched and Fox felt a shock go through his body._

_This was right._

Fox blinked as ROB's voice echoed out of speakers in the ceiling of the hanger.

"_**Fox, Scanners had detected ships exiting warp, early scans shows a frigate and four fighters. Fighters have moved on a intercept course with us and have powered up their weapons."**_

Fox frowned at this wrinkle in what was supposed to be a quiet trip, although he was glad that ROB had pulled him out of his thoughts. "Thanks for the heads up ROB. Have you alerted Falco as well?"

"_**Falco's Intercom is registering as non functional. I am unable to get in contact with him by secondary means."**_

Fox shook his head as he thought about what would cause Falco to shut off his intercom and gauntlet. "Alright ROB, how far out are the ships?"

"_**Less then eight minutes."**_

Fox cursed softly under his breath. "I don't suppose you can reach Katt?"

"_**Negative."**_

Fox cursed again. "Alright, page Krystal's room and patch it through into my Arwing."

"_**Patching."**_

Fox slammed the hatch closed and slid along the wing and jumping into his Arwings cockpit as Kursed's voice came out of the speakers.

"_**Yes?"**_

Fox didn't waste anytime "Can you fly an Arwing?"

There was a pause _**"I've dabbled, why?"**_

Fox tapped the button that would seal the engine hatch closed and started priming his systems. "We have inbound fighters and I can't raise Falco or Katt. I need help and you're the only other person on the ship."

"_**What about my ship?"**_

"If this turns into a fight, I want to be out before they reach us." Fox called up a radar display that was patched into the Great Fox. "We have less then five minutes to get out there, and I don't think your ship can be ready in that time."

There was silence for a long moment, Fox was counting the seconds as he waited. "Kursed!"

"_**Fine, I'll be there."**_

Fox nodded as he finished starting up his systems. He pinged the bridge. "ROB, begin the launching procedures for the Arwings.

"_**Affirmative."**_

Fox tapped his paws across his control board and smiled softly as he felt the small vibration of the system starting up and heard the hum of the G-Diffuser engines. He leaned out of his cockpit as he heard the ding of the elevator doors and watched Kursed run towards Falco's Arwing. She was dressed in her black combat suit and had her hair pulled back into her pony tail. She hit the dock that ran along the side of the Arwing as it started to raise, she launched herself up and grabbed the wing, pulling herself up and taking two running steps across the wing to make the small jump to the cockpit. As she landed in the seat she glanced at him once briefly before she turned her attention to the controls and Falco's Arwing rumbled to life.

Fox turned back to his own controls and lowered his canopy as it closed he couldn't help but mutter. "Dabble my butt, that takes practice."

As his canopy closed and the Arwing sealed itself for space, his HUD kicked to life, showing Kursed's linked ship, displaying her shield bar and hull status. He pinged the bridge again. "ROB, Status?"

"_**Ships are sixty seconds out, detailed scans have been completed. The Frigate is of Venom origin, and the Fighters bear similarities to Venom Interceptors but do not match any know design. Suspect that the fighters are further along than mark IV, which is the latest version data that I have access to"**_

Fox frowned "What the hell are Venom fighters doing all the way out here?"

"_**The better question is: Are they friendly?"**_

Fox turned his gaze to his HUD where Kursed's head popped up. "I doubt it, but lets go find out." Fox turned his attention back to ROB "ROB, launch."

Fox reached out and took his control sticks in hand, as the launching hook dropped down from the roof and attached itself to the Arwing, lifting it up slightly and sending a small charge across the hull. A few seconds later the hook shot forward, throwing Fox back into his seat as it let go and flung the Arwing out into the cold black of space. Fox deftly spun his ship in a barrel roll to discharge the build up of energy and extend his wings. He double checked the power systems of his lasers before glancing down at his radar to make sure Kursed was behind him.

As they flew out towards the ships Kursed brought her ship along side his and Fox glanced out at her once before opening a hailing comm. "This is Captain Fox McCloud of Star Fox, please identify yourself and explain why you approached my ship with powered weapons.

A venom lizard appeared on Fox's HUD. _**"Star Fox eh? The Commander is not going to be pleased with that." **_he paused for a moment, rubbing his scaly chin with a claw hand._** "My name is Captain Backlaw of the Venom Frigate in front of you. I have standing orders to blast anybody who gets in my way, but I would rather not deck it out with Star Fox right now. So, I'm going to leave my first and second here to play with you while I continue with my mission. Dust em boys, then meet up with us at the base later."**_

Before Fox could demand any other answers, the lizard cut the comm link and red lights started lancing out towards Kursed and Fox. Fox dodged the lasers as he watched the frigate flash into a warp, as well as two of the fighters. Fox growled softly as he brought his fighter around behind one of the Interceptors and thumbed the trigger for his lasers, sending the beams dancing out across his enemy's shield. After a few moments of having no apparnt effect he frowned.

"_**McCloud, Six high."**_

Fox reacted, barrel-rolling out of the way as red lasers flashed through where he had just been. He thumbed his thruster controls, slowing the Arwing down and allowing the other interceptor to fly by him, being chased by Kursed, who was pouring fire into her own enemy.

"Kursed, switch to Charges, their shields are to strong for a single laser to take out."

Fox flicked his power back up as the interceptor he had been attacking chased after Kursed, tracing fire around her. Fox swapped to the charge mode and watched on his HUD as the small square rotated around his enemy before it beeped and turned red. Fox pushed down on his trigger, holding it for a few seconds, the green bolt of energy built up along the tip of his nose before blasting out to strike the interceptors shield. The fighter spun to the side his shield glowing, but still up.

"_**Well, that looked effective, I'm using a smart bomb on this guy."**_

Fox pulled away to chase down his own target, charging another blast as he lined up the lock. "Do it."

He lost track of Kursed as her target flew away from him, Fox let loose with another charge bolt but this time his enemy spun into a barrel roll of his own and _deflected_ the energy ball. Fox felt his eyes widen, an Arwing was the only ship that could do something like that. Fox swapped back to normal shots and let his lasers lance out at his enemy, trying to make sure his shields couldn't recover. Space briefly lit up from behind him and he heard Kursed shout out in celebration.

"_**Smart Bombs work, but it takes a while for the lock to happen."**_

Fox nodded to himself "That's great, but I was working on my Arwing before this and I don't have any Smart Bombs loaded."

"_**...Great..."**_

Fox focused on following his enemy, thinking about what to do to bring down his shields. He grinned as an idea came to him. "Hey, Kursed, boost up and fly directly above me, charge your lasers and after my blast gets released, fire yours."

"_**Okay."**_

Fox waited for Kursed to take position before he swapped back to charge mode and watched for the lock. As if his target knew what Fox had planned, he started trying to shake Fox, spinning and boosting away, even trying to break and have them fly over. The computer beeped with its lock and Fox pressed his trigger. Right after his charged ball of energy left he saw Kursed's ball of energy fly down from above him heading for the target.

The Interceptor rolled and deflected Fox's energy blast, but Kursed's struck and washed over his shield, collapsing it. Fox grinned as he swapped back to normal lasers and started stitching bolts across the Interceptors hull. It wasn't long before there was a flash of light from the engines and the rear end of the fighter exploded. Fox pulled away and found Kursed flying along side of her. He turned his fighter back towards the Great Fox. As he did so he heard Kursed call out a warning. He tried to barrel roll and deflect whatever was coming but he was too late.

The crippled ship had managed to turn and lock onto Fox, letting out two dark red blasts of energy that ate right through his shield and into the hull of his Arwing. Fox cursed loudly as the energy sheered off his right wing and ate through one of the G-Diffusers on his left wing. The engine ruptured and exploded, damaging his craft further. Fox looked around at all the red status lights that were flashing on his HUD.

"Kursed, I've lost control, one engine is down. Do you copy?"

There was nothing but static for a moment. _**"-loud-rea-okay-ox-re-ok-" **_Fox sighed as his comm dissolved into static. Fox pressed a few buttons, sealing off his cockpit from the rest of the Arwing. He sighed once at the loss of the craft before hitting a button and ejecting the cockpit out into space. His panels still flashing red. It was about this time that he noticed the pain in his left shoulder. He glanced over to it and gasped as he registered the small piece of metal sticking out of it. He glanced further behind him and winced at the pain it caused He saw where it had come from, a small panel in the back had shattered when the G-Diffuser exploded, and Fox was glad that the back up seals for the cockpit covered the hole.

He turned his gaze back to space as he saw Kursed's Arwing fly in front of him, coming to a stop, a moment later he felt a small jerk as the magnetic cable installed on all the Arwings connected with his canopy. She turned the fighter around and flew towards the Great Fox. After what felt like too short of a trip for Fox's liking he saw the hanger of the Great Fox swallow Kursed's fighter and a moment later he cried out in pain as the ships gravity grasped his canopy and brought it crashing to the ground. He blacked out after that.

When he woke up again, it was too a dull throb in his shoulder and the sight of a blue furred arm as it moved across his chest. He groaned and started to move his head. He stopped when the blue furred hand grabbed his chin and held it still.

"Don't move, I don't want to miss a stitch."

Fox raised an eyebrow "Okay, since all I can feel is a dull throb I'm guessing you numbed my arm?"

Kursed hadn't looked at him, keeping her gaze locked on his shoulder where she was deftly running the needle and thread through his skin and muscle. She still didn't look at him as she started talking. "You're lucky, another half an inch lower and it would have gone through your shoulder blade, and then you would have had to stay on the ship to heal while the rest of us explored Cerinia."

Fox smiled "That's me, Mr. Lucky."

Kursed didn't say anything, although she did take a moment to glance at him. Fox noted the blank look she gave him before she turned her gaze back to his arm, a few seconds later she leaned her head down and Fox heard her snap the thread with her teeth. She leaned back from him and stood up. "There, you're good to go."

Fox glanced down at his shoulder and saw that she had ripped the sleeve of his t-shirt off and cleaned the edges of the red wound that ran through the top of his shoulder. The fur around it was still slightly clotted with blood but otherwise it looked just like he had gotten it from a hospital. He gently slid his legs off the table and tried to sit up. He blinked as his head swooned and he found himself laying back down again it. Kursed standing over him, an arm on his good shoulder. Fox stared at her and noticed that she still had a blank look in her eyes, like she was trying not to take in anything.

Before he could ask her what was wrong, Falco stormed into the room, followed shortly by Katt. He walked over to Kursed and grabbed her shoulder spinning her around. "What the hell did you do to Fox?!" he demanded of her.

Kursed frowned and anger lit her eyes as she shoved Falco in the chest, sending him stumbling back. "Not a damn thing Lombardi. Except doing your job"

Falco frowned and took a step forward, "Now listen here-" he cut off as he watched Fox move on the bed.

Fox swung his legs over and attempted to sit up again, this time succeeding and blinking at the rush of blood leaving his head. "She saved my life Falco."

Falco stopped and looked at Fox, who continued speaking. "She actually answered my call when the hostile fighters showed up..." he trailed off and looked at Kursed who was silent for a moment. "Two hours." she said softly.

Fox nodded his thanks "Two hours ago, when you were busy with Katt." Both Katt and Falco blushed. "We came across a patrol of some sort, they attacked us and if Kursed hadn't been there, I would have died." Fox glanced at his arm. "Plus she stitched me up, so I think shes earned a break."

Falco glanced over at Kursed before scoffing, he turned his gaze back to Fox. "Alright, want to fill me in on everything?"

Fox shook his head "Later, right now I need to take a nap. You and Katt go get something to eat, I'll be up in a minute."

Falco held his gaze for a moment before he turned and laid an arm across Katt's shoulders and leading her out the door, Kursed following them with her gaze, the door slid closed and Fox waited a moment to speak up. "Thank you."

Kursed turned to face him. "What?"

Fox looked down at the ground. "Thank you, for saving my life, and for stitching me up. I know I don't exactly deserve it after what happened a few days ago but-"

He stopped speaking as Kursed spoke. "McCloud, shut up, I did it as part of the job, nothing more." she paused like she was going to say something else, instead she walked towards the door and left as it slid open.

Fox frowned slightly as he watched her go, knowing that thanks to that fight he was back to square one with her. He shook his head gently as he stood up and headed for his room. A good night of sleep was what he needed now. His goal set in mind he left the med bay, and headed for the elevator, hoping that the next few days would pass without event.

* * *

_**There ya go, enjoyed? I hope so, anyway, some news for you all.**_

_**First off, in case none of you saw my edit, thanks for all the reviews last week, that just made my day. And as a thank you to all my readers, I'm uploading the Deleted chapter 3 to my Facebook account for you all to read if you so want. So you can see how it almost went ha ha.**_

_**The link to my Facebook account is on my profile just fyi. I know Facebook isn't the best way to share for people like us, but I didn't want to upload another thing here, and I figure that for now, it would be the best way.**_

_**Oh, and if you're enjoying Dead Planet, may I suggest that you check out my other Star Fox story, The ReArmed Conflict, the beginning is a little bumpy, but it really picks up quickly. Anyway, I think that about covers it, So, on to the guest reviews:**_

_**4RT: Hope you're enjoying the update. Yes, I had the fight scene be a little bit darker on the first run through, but I restructured it into the bet just to have Kursed be nicer, I enjoyed it way to much.**_

_**Fpastrello: I like to keep people guessing, means I'm doing my job. Also, no worries about the length, just reviewing helps.**_

_**LaaraWolf: Glad you're enjoying, and I update as fast as I can.**_

_**EDIT -02-02-13: The next chapter is sitting at 9 pages and right now I'm just deciding on where I want to cut it off. There is quite a bit written and I havn't even gotten to the point I originally planned on stopping at.  
**_

_**Well, I think that's everything,if you're still enjoying the story, please drop me a review, thank you.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	6. The Past of a Cerinian

_**I'll be seeing you Ringtail...**_

_**Whoops...Wrong Fan Fiction...For those of you who can't guess off that, I have been slightly...Obsessed with Sly Cooper lately. I loved the games as a kid and as a then budding writer, I immersed myself in the stories and the lore. When the next Sly Cooper game was announced I tripped. A lot. I was stunned and so excited, this excitement grew when I got a PS3 so that I could actually play the games. Thieves in Time, the next Sly Cooper game came out a few weeks ago, on a day I was supposed to update. My Bad, I played the game instead, or rather all the games since I was working my way through the Sly Collection.**_

_**But I have another reason! You see, I was promoted not to long ago at work, I'm one of the four managers of my store now, the lowest ranked one, so I usually don't have too much on my plate, but the past few weeks, not only was the senior manager on vacation, but another one of the managers got injured. Now it was just down to me and one other manager to run the store, which as you might guess, left me pretty damn busy. I didn't even get a chance to type this out until last week, then I sent it to Cpt. Fox for a beta, who, has been just as busy as I have these past few weeks. Being an adult sucks sometimes you know that? Anyway, I've decided something, even if I don't get a chance to update every Tuesday[for me] but I will always update on a Tuesday. Keep it regular ya know?**_

_**Right! Now that is out of the way, just a quick note for this chapter, after the last two, its really not as heavy on the drama as most would like, but I'm telling you know, its important to the story, this is the first of two chapters that will show you **_**why****_ Kursed acts the way she does in the story, Hopefully you'll all see what I mean about halfway through, Cpt Fox was actually confused at first, but he got it in the end, so hopefully its not to buried. Mind you, there are still some moments with Kursed and Fox, including something I've been wanting to do for a while, and a little bit more revealed about what happened while Fox was out of it at the end of the last chapter._**

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_Star Fox: _**The Dead Planet **_Chapter 6: _**The Past of a Cerinian**

* * *

**-**_Cerinia, _**The Past-**

* * *

_She glanced around as she leaned out of her doorway, checking first the left, then the right. Satisfied the coast was clear, the kit ran down the stone hallway heading for the balcony that she had been on earlier. She stopped with her ears twitching as they registered the soft padding of the guards feet. She glanced around the hallway she was in and spotted a tapestry hanging down to the floor, padding over to it, she lifted it up and hid behind it, hoping the guards wouldn't notice the bulge that she made._

_She sighed quietly as they passed her by with out incident, peaking out from the tapestry and glancing around again to make sure that nobody else was coming she made her way through the large doorway at the end of the hallway and into the grand room beyond. She paused and stared at the arching ceiling high above her, banners that were decorated with symbols that had yet to hold meaning for her hanging from the ceiling. The giant pieces of blue cloth were also wrapped around the decorated columns that stretched up to hold the ceiling in place._

_She ran silently through the grand room, glad that she had left her sandals behind next to her bed. She reached the steps that led up to the stone throne with its blankets and pillows, adding comfort and friendliness to the otherwise unforgiving rock. She placed a hand on the stone chair, slowing her run to a slow walk so that she could drag her paw across the throne as she passed it by. As her hand left the smooth stone behind, something caused her to turn around and look at it. She took a few steps backwards before she managed to pull her gaze from the it._

_As she turned about she walked through the archway that led out to the balcony that overlooked the village below. She wrapped her paws around the columns that held up the balcony railing but she couldn't see properly from down here. Earlier today she had been on her fathers shoulders,she frowned as she looked up at the railing. Refusing to be denied though she leaped up and grabbed the edge and struggled to pull herself onto the top. She managed to get her head over and swung one of her legs up, glad that the railing was so thick that she could safely get herself up and stand on it._

_As she stood up, she couldn't help the small gasp that came from within as she took in the sight below her. During the day, it had looked amazing with all the stone huts and grass roofs, spread out below her like some grand chessboard. She could see the people, her fellow Cerinians going about their business for the day. A few had pointed up and waved at her, she had waved back, full of joy to just be out and looking down. She had been filled with such awe that she wanted to see it at night, and she wasn't disappointed._

_The full moon cast its ghostly glow over the land below, turning the stone walls of the huts a brilliant white and bringing the grass roofs into a sharper contrast. At the same time, the shadows that occupied the roads that people dominated during the day lent a magical feeling to the view that left her breathless and staring out, wondering if she could just float away. In the distance she could just make out the walls that protected the city from the jungle around it._

_She blinked and sighed, not sure of how much time passed, she let out a startled squeak when two hands grabbed her around the waist and pulled her backwards off the railing. She flailed for a moment until she inhaled and relaxed as the scent of her father calmed her._

"_What are you doing out here at this hour? You should be in bed,"_

_She looked up at her father, the king of her people, with a grin that quickly faded as she saw the frown on his face. She glanced down, afraid of what ever punishment she would get "I just wanted to see the city at night." She buried her head into his fur. "I'm sorry."_

_Her fathers chuckle shook her as he summoned it from his chest, his deep tone soothed her fear when he spoke up next. "My dear child, you should have said something. I would have gladly let you see this, it's my favorite view of our city."_

_She glanced up at him, grinning softly "You like it too?"_

_He nodded "Yes, I love it, I love looking out at the city as it sleeps, full of the mystery of the night." he glanced down at her. "Just like I love looking at you and your mother." he smiled as she giggled. He hugged her close to him and turned his gaze to the city below once again, he felt her move in his arms so that she could see too. "Can we do this every night daddy?"_

_He glanced down at her again, seeing the joy that lit her face and eyes as she stared out. He chuckled and hefted her up so that she could sit on his shoulders. "Of course. Although I think we should keep it a secret from your mom, I don't think she'll approve of a four year old being up so late."_

_The two of them stayed that way for a long while, just staring out before the king sighed and turned around, eliciting a small groan of disappointment from his daughter. He chuckled softly. "You need your sleep, you have studies tomorrow, but if you promise to go right to sleep, I'll bring you out tomorrow night as well."_

"_Okay daddy."_

_The king worked his way through the hallways to her sleeping chamber, carrying her in his arms. As he tucked her into bed he kissed her forehead, she giggled and pushed him away gently. As he watched her snuggle deeper into her bed he spoke up. "You are going to be something special, the gem of our people," he paused for a moment. "My little Krystal." he leaned down and kissed her one more time. "Now go to sleep."_

_Krystal smiled as she closed her eyes and her dad left her room, closing the door behind him._

* * *

-**Two Years Later-**

* * *

"_Is it going to hurt?" Krystal asked as she looked up at her Dad._

_Her dad leaned down and laid a paw gently on her shoulder. "It will hurt for a little bit Krystal. There is no way around that. But this is an important part of being a princess. I did this myself when I was six."_

_Krystal looked at the pool of water that she was kneeling in front of. She raised her gaze and looked around the temple that her dad had brought her to. He had said it was the life blood of their people, their link to Cerinia and everything around them. It wasn't as impressive as the throne room that she was used to, but the large circular room built around the pool in front of her still managed to convey an eerie feeling of belonging and respect._

_She glanced back down at the pool, then up at her dad. "Will it last long?"_

_Her dad looked over at the pool. "The pain? It should fade quickly." he glanced at his daughter as he drew a small stone dagger from a sheath on his leg. "Are you ready?"_

_Krystal looked at the dagger with worry for a moment before she inhaled and nodded. "After you do it, I just stick my paws in the water?"_

_Her father nodded and Krystal held her paws out over the pool, she closed her eyes as her dad held the dagger out over them. She winced and cried out as she felt the sharp stone blade brush past her fur and cut right into her skin. It wasn't a deep cut, but it still hurt. She quickly plunged her hands into the warm water in front of her._

_For a moment nothing happened, then the water glowed white for a moment and Krystal felt the pain fade. She opened her eyes and stared at the pool in front of her, transfixed by what she could see in the reflection. It was no longer just her and her father kneeling in front of the pool. In the reflection Krystal could see countless blue furred Cerinians kneeling around with the two of them. She gasped softly as she felt something inside her, that feeling of belonging was no longer eerie, it was right, and Krystal felt each and every one of those Cerinians in that moment, they were all connected._

_She pulled her hands out of the pool and stared in wonder, the cuts that she knew should be there were gone. She looked around, wondering if she could see any of the people from the reflection. Her father chuckled softly as she stood up and stared. After a moment he spoke up. "It is complete. Your bond with Cerinia is whole and strong." he placed a paw on her shoulder and she met his eyes. "You are now bonded with the magic of this planet, of our home. You are the princess of Cerinia."_

_Krystal blinked then grinned. "Does this mean I get to stay up late by myself now?"_

_Her father laughed and stood up, holding out a paw for her to take. "We'll see young one."_

_As they left the temple Krystal asked another question. "Dad, I saw you fighting with a staff."_

_Her father glanced down at her. "Oh?" he frowned "When was this?"_

_Krystal used her free hand to point to her head. "Just now, in there, when I had that strange feeling with my paws in the pool."_

_Her father nodded "Ah, I see, did I scare you?"_

_Krystal thought about it for a moment. "No. I was...happy to see you like that. It looked like you were fighting to protect something."_

_Her father smiled softly. "I was fighting to protect you. You, your mother, and Cerinia. That's all I fight for."_

_Krystal was silent for a long while before she spoke up again. "Can I learn to fight like you? To protect Cerinia, and you, and mom?"_

_Her father glanced up into the sky for a moment before he turned his gaze to the curious eyes of his daughter. "I don't see why not. We can start next week, just the two of us. Sound like a plan?"_

_Krystal nodded energetically "Yes." she paused as she remembered her manners. "Thank you."_

_Her father laughed and swung her up into his arms. "Oh my little Krystal."_

* * *

**-****3 Years Later-**

* * *

_Krystal rolled over in bed, trying to find a spot that wouldn't cause pain, she gave up after a moment and just grit her teeth against it. It had only been a few days since she had gotten her tattoos on her thighs and upper arms, and the white symbols still hurt. Krystal sighed and moved around on the bed for a few moments more before she decided that sleep was out of the question for now. She stood up and put on her white dress before heading for the throne room and the balcony behind it. _

_It wasn't long until she reached it, and it only took her a few moments of standing still, breathing in the cool night air. Her father had made good on his promise, he didn't get mad at her if she wandered the halls at night, as long as she didn't leave the palace. That, and he had started teaching her combat. He was impressed with her skill and what she picked up even when she had only been six. She was eight now, and her father had been teaching her the basics of staff fighting, which is what he used._

_But last week he had stopped._

_Up until now she thought it was because he had to prepare for the tattoo ceremony, but that hadn't been it. As she stood there, she realized she was about to get the chance to ask him as she felt a prodding in her mind and heard the soft sounds of his footsteps. He came up to stand behind her, placing a hand on the back of her neck and rubbing in gently._

"_What troubles you so? I could feel it from across the throne room."_

_Krystal sighed as he rubbed her neck and at the comfort given by his deep voice. She spoke up a few moments later. "How come you stopped training me?"_

_Her father paused in his rubbing for a moment. "Ah, unfortunately I've been busy this past month, and the future doesn't seem very likely either."_

_Krystal turned to face him. "Why not?"_

_Her father sighed "Now that you have received your tattoos, you mother insists that you start acting like a princess, and that you take more schooling." he paused "I won't be able to train you anymore, but you can still learn the basics from your teachers."_

_Krystal sighed and glanced back out towards the city scape. "Okay." she said softly as she thought about her life of being trapped in the palace. She wanted to go out and explore the jungle around her, not only that, she knew that there were other planets and other people out there, a few had even tried to trade with Cerinia. She wanted to go out and explore space, she wanted adventure. Training with her dad had been the closest she could come to achieving that._

_She perked up slightly as she realized that she didn't need her dad to do that. What was stopping her from leaving? The wall around the city? She knew of at least five ways to get out into the jungle that the Guards didn't know about and patrol or were easy to avoid what patrols there were. She turned to her father with a smile. "Okay." she repeated, plans already forming in her mind about how she would go about it. She would need a guard outfit first._

_Her father frowned at her for a moment, surprised that she had given in so easily. After a moment though he decided not to look into the blessing too hard and nodded."Come on then, back to bed, your studies resume first thing in the morning."_

_Together the two of them walked through the throne room and into the hallways beyond._

* * *

Kursed opened her eyes and blinked as she took in the cold metal ceiling above her. For a moment she wondered why she was staring at that and not the carved rock that had made up her room in the palace.

Then she remembered.

She sighed and ran a paw over her face, closing her eyes and seeing the disjointed images from her memories still lingering there. She thought briefly about going back to bed but decided against it. Instead she rolled out from underneath the covers and walked over to the bathroom. She closed the door and started the shower, going over to stare into the mirror and staring at her reflection while the water warmed up.

As she looked into her reflection like it could answer all of her questions she ran a hand up and trailed it over the little red line that ran from under her left eye to stop just above her lip. For a moment she entertained the thought of revealing to Fox who she was. Would he still love her after all that she had done? Her life choice of a bounty hunter had pushed her into some pretty questionable areas. Things she normally wouldn't have done, she did it all with out batting an eye. She had changed, she knew that it couldn't work between them anymore. That it shouldn't be able to work between them anymore. Yet these thoughts still plagued her.

It hadn't helped when she had opened the canopy on his destroyed Arwing four days ago. She had felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the blood that was spread across his chest and dripped down onto the floor. She had panicked, calling out his name in worry, before she calmed down and located the wound in his shoulder. She had been worried that it had bled so much, but after she covered it up and got him up to the med bay, she had managed to return to herself fully and focused on sewing him up.

She would be lying to herself is she said that some part of her hadn't enjoyed it.

Not him being hurt, but the fact that she was allowed to just be near him, to just have her hands on him. The small part of her that still claimed Fox as hers, the part that she tried to keep buried, the one that she had pretended to forget about. That was when she had found the necklace, and the ring.

When she had been setting up her life as Kursed, she knew that she had needed to get rid of the ring. It had been one of the hardest things that she had done to transform into Kursed, the last remnant of her former life that linked her to Fox.

She knew now that she would never be able to really forget about Fox. She had tried to pass it off as other things, but even during the past eight years as Kursed she had thought about him. Never directly, but he was always there, floating somewhere in her mind. Now that she was aware of the bond that had formed it made sense, and since she had realized it and spent time on the _Great Fox_, it had only gotten _stronger_.

That scared her.

She had been able to feel his pain when he blacked out, she even been able to pick up on his thoughts when they were still out in space and his radio didn't work. If she could get all that from him, what if he could figure out who she really was? He already knew that she was hiding something, and if Fox ever found out the truth...

She thought back to that day in the med bay, she had almost told him that she was glad he had made it through. Even though that was just the start of what she had wanted to say, instead she had just left the room, afraid that if she had to spend time alone with him again she would break and tell him who she was, just to get it out there and deal with the consequences.

She was just glad that he had still been out of it for the kiss. The one that she had given him during their fight had been quick, fleeting, and a tease, a promise for something that she couldn't have anymore. When he had been unconscious and she had been ready to start stitching his wound, she let her barriers down and kissed him again, like she had when she was Krystal, it was one sided since he was still out cold, but something inside of her had soared and she had a feeling that she was righting a wrong that should never had happened.

Instead of staying that way, she had pulled away, put her barriers back up and focused on the string and needle.

Could it work out between them, with her as Kursed, could she...

Kursed shook her head and focused back on her reflection as steam built up in the small room. She forced her mind to focus on the mission at hand and forget about Fox.

She growled to herself "I'm not getting into that shower until I can focus on the here and now." as if saying it would make it true.

She stayed in front of the mirror until the steam claimed the mirror for itself.

When she emerged some time later, she knew that the rest of the crew would be up and about by now, preparing for the trip down to Cerinia. Kursed thought about staying in her room, but instead, she left it heading down the hallway and to the elevator. She pressed the button for the hanger and waited for the short trip down.

When the doors slid open she walked out into the hanger and headed for her ship. She went to the back and keyed in her entrance code, climbed up the ladder and moved to the cockpit, she stopped off in her small room though and grabbed her staff. She left her room and sat down in the cockpit with the staff across her lap and stared at the console in front of her for a moment. Eventually she activated it and patched the system into the _Great Fox_. She called up the images that the ROB had captured with the scanners when they had entered orbit during the night.

She stared at the image of her home world and found herself thinking about the past few weeks again. She had been forced to meet Fox again, and to accept that she still loved him. Now, she had to go down to her home planet, to her child hood home, and hope that nobody recognized the runaway princess of Cerinia.

"_I wonder if my father is still alive. I have no idea what happened to Cerinia that caused it to vanish, just that it had to be _his _fault, why did I trust him?"_

* * *

**-**_Cerinia, _**The Past, Two Years Later -**

* * *

_Krystal leaned out over the railing in front of her, the view of the city at night still managing to captivate her. She turned her head as she felt the small nudge in her mind that her father used to let he know he was near. It was only a few moments before her dad walked through the archway that led to the throne room and out onto the balcony with her. It may have been seven years since she had first snuck out to see the sights of the city at night. But it still held her in its magical grasp whenever she did come out here, her and her father._

_Her father was dressed in the cloth garments that showed that he was the leader of his people. The white cloth shirt and pants hung off his frame, swaying gently in the breeze. The pants were held to his waist with a gold belt and a small golden crown sat on his head. The bracers that he wore around his wrists and tail were also golden. He smiled at her, his eyes that same color as hers lighting up as he laid his gaze upon her._

_He walked up and leaned over the balcony next to her, content to just spend time with her. Eventually though, he put a thought in her head "What are you thinking about tonight?" he asked as he glanced at her._

_She smiled as she brushed a lock of hair from her face. She was just barely getting a grip on her telepathic abilities, struggling with basic concepts, but with her father it was never a struggle to communicate solely through their thoughts."Just about something one of my teachers said to me today."_

_His father glanced back out at the city below them. "Oh what was it?"_

_Krystal glanced at her father, losing her grin for the first time that night. "I asked my teacher if I would ever learn to fight like you. You know, the advanced fighting classes."_

_Her father stiffened slightly next to her, he was silent for a long moment before he turned back to face her. "What did he say?"_

_Krystal glanced down at the ground. "He told me that since I couldn't even wrap my mind around basic telepathic concepts, that I would never be able to master fighting."_

_Her father nodded "I see."_

_Krystal brought her gaze to his face. "He also told me that fighting was for others to do, never for the princess." As she thought the words she reached up and touched the necklace that hung from her neck, declaring to all who saw it that she was the princess of Cerinia. She glanced down at herself and the white dress that she wore, lashed across her waist, so similar to her mothers._

_Her father was silent for a moment. "Krystal..."_

_Krystal looked away. "Stop, I know what you're going to say." she eventually turned her gaze back to him."Father, its not fair, I want to learn how to fight, you even trained me for two years, what's so wrong with me continuing that?"_

_Her dad was quiet again. "Krystal, you know that its not in a princess's duty to-"_

_Krystal straightened and slashed a hand through the air. "Father, Stop! It doesn't matter how many times I hear that. It won't change my mind."_

_The king straightened as well, his face turning stern as he glared at his daughter. "Krystal, I was the one who told your teacher that you weren't to fight." he paused for a moment, his face softening "I'm sorry."_

_Krystal blinked. "It was...you?" she glanced away from him. "But...why?"_

_Her father was silent for a moment. "It...it is difficult to explain. Just know that I did it because I love you."_

_Krystal turned her gaze to the view below them, going silent and in essence ignoring her father. After a while he leaned down next to her, but she just kept her gaze facing out towards the city below, her expression blank. She stayed silent still, after a while her father straightened and leaned over her, giving her a hug. "I love you Krystal." he sent to her before he kissed her on the top of the head and left her to her musings._

_She turned her head to watch him go, her face still void of emotion. She eventually lost track of the time, all she knew was that for the first time in her life, she felt...betrayed. Her father had been the one who had first instructed her in fighting when she was younger, he was the last one she expected to stop her._

_She wasn't sure why she did it, but at that moment she looked up into the sky and felt her eyes widen. Blazing across the dark blue night in a trail of orange was what looked like a falling star. It didn't take her long to realize that it wasn't a star, but something actually falling out of the sky. She traced its path and watched as it vanished beyond the tree line past the front wall. She waited a moment, all her senses alert..and she barely felt it, the faint vibration as whatever it was struck the ground._

_She glanced towards the wall, thinking that surely one of the sentries had seen the trail and would raise an alert. But after a full minute with no activity Krystal turned to go and raise the alert herself. As she headed for her parents room, however she had another thought._

_What if she could prove to her father that she could be a fighter. If she went and found out whatever this falling object was, maybe her father would trust her enough o let her learn how to fight with the rest of the guards._

_She nodded to herself, the plan solid in her mind, she quickly turned around and headed for her room. Once there, she glanced around to make sure nobody was coming before she closed and barred the door. She quickly stripped out of the dress and ducked underneath her bed where she kept the outfit for the secret part of her life, fearful for the day that he discovered that his little princess wasn't everything she appeared to be._

_She pulled on the set of palace guard clothing that she had nicked from the armory some time ago. After that she walked over to her wall where she located a loose panel, pulling it away from the stone that surrounded it and grabbed her bow and short sword. She lashed the belt around her waist and tucked her bow over her shoulder while slinging her quiver to the belt with the sword, letting it hang from left thigh and her sword from her right. The last thing she grabbed out of her hidden hole before she put the board back was a coil of rope with a metal hook on the end, she tucked this into a small clip on the back of the belt._

_She walked over to the mirror to check her disguise, the blue pants fell down to her ankles, snug against her frame, while the white and gold shirt that identified her as a place guard hung a little loose to disguise her form, helping her look like a male. Her thick brown leather gloves covered her hands and the final part of the disguise was to pull the loose cowl over her head so that it shadowed her eyes, while still letting her see everything around her. She knew that if an actual guard saw her, they would be suspicious because of everything she carried, but she had been doing this for a few months and had learned how to avoid them. The only other people who saw her just dismissed her as part of the background._

_She checked the mirror one last time before she went to her door and unblocked it, opening it silently and glancing out down the hallway. Satisfied the coast was clear, she left her room, walking steadily through the hallway until she reached one of the stair ways down. She quickly descended the stairs and walked down the hallway at the bottom, before she came to a balcony that overlooked the forest and hung out just past the wall that surrounded the town._

_She glanced down at the wall below her, making sure that the patrols were far away. She could just make out the glow of their torches, a good distance away that she wouldn't be seen. She took the rope off her belt and attached the hook to the edge of the balcony. Making sure that it strong enough that it would support her weight, but light enough that she could pull it loose with a sharp tug. _

_She checked one more time to make sure the patrolling guards were still out on their patrols before she took a strong grip of the rope in her hands and leapt over the side of the railing, throwing one hand behind her back to serve as an anchor while using one in front to guide her down straight. She fell quickly, hearing the rope buzz as it slid through her gloves. She tightened her grip as she approached the ground and slowed her descent so that when she touched down it was just a soft jolt._

_She glanced up at the balcony and gave a sharp tug on the rope, dislodging the hook and stepping out of its way as it thudded to the ground next to her. She grabbed it and quickly wrapped the rope up into its coil and attached it to her belt again. She took a moment to study the sky to and align herself with the direction the ship had fallen in and realized she was in luck as she could just follow the wall to the front and head straight out into the jungle._

_Grinning to herself she loped off along the wall, eventually passing into the jungle beyond with out any of the guards seeing her. It took her about half an hour but eventually she came across the signs of an impact. In front of her a tree was bent over slightly and carried a bit of a scorch. Krystal took a deep breath and centered herself, pulling her bow off her shoulder and grabbing an arrow, placing it in the small groove on the side of the bow. She drew the arrow back slightly and carried the bow aimed at the ground, ready to let loose the arrow if she had to._

_She moved further into the jungle, passing more signs of the destruction that the crash had caused, until she started finding clods of dirt that were thrown out of place. Eventually she passed beyond two trees and found the crater that the impact had made. Sitting in the bottom of the crater was a small shuttle, heavily damaged from its crash, and what looked like a battle. She slid down into the crater, her bow still at the ready, as she moved around the shuttle, spotting the hatch the served as its exit. She reached out and grabbed the latch, pulling hard to open the door. When it didn't budge, she put her arrow back in her quiver and slung her bow over her shoulder so that she could use both arms to pull. She was rewarded with the sound of grating metal as the door slid open slowly. She drew the small sword and moved into the tight confines of the shuttle._

_It wasn't long before she found its occupant and Krystal paused to study him for a moment. He was a large ape, with shocking white hair and a small tufts of a side burn hanging from the side of his face, eventually reaching to form a small beard also white, under his chin. His hair stood up strongly against his brown fur and skin , but did nothing to hide the blood that covered his face, and to top it off he was wearing a pair of brown pants and a white t-shirt._

_Krystal moved forward, sheathing her sword and pulling down her cowl as she did so. She stopped a small space away and leaned down, placing a hand on the apes chest, ready to say a prayer. But instead she gasped softly and took a few startled steps back as the ape in front of her took a deep breath of air, his eyes wide and rolling in their sockets._

_Krystal stayed away for a moment until the eyes locked onto hers, then she stepped forward and looked for the wound. She found it quickly, a large gash across the top of his chest. She knew that if she left it, he would bleed to death, but she had no way to take proper care of the wound here. Thinking quickly she reached forward and ripped parts of his shirt up, wrapping them around his upper chest where the wound was. _

_The entire time, the ape followed her with his eyes, never speaking, just watching, although he did wince in pain a few times when she tightened the straps. A few minutes later she was satisfied with her work. She glanced behind her at the door way back to the jungle. She turned back to the ape and spoke up "I'm going to help you stand up, but I'm not strong enough to get out by myself. You'll need to help me. Do you understand?"_

_The ape stared for a moment before he nodded. Krystal nodded in return and pulled the cowl back over her head as she maneuvered herself to help the ape stand up. After a few minutes of struggling they managed to get their feet underneath them and Krystal led them out the shuttle and back towards her home in the distance._

_It took longer than an hour, but eventually she got them to the front gate. She looked at the ape before she set him down on the ground. "I need to leave now, but I'll shout and get you attention."_

_The ape nodded weakly and Krystal frowned as she looked up at the wall, she gave a loud yell then retreated into the jungle. She watched as one of the guards walked over and saw the injured ape sitting on the ground in front of the gate, he quickly raised the alarm and Krystal smiled before she made off for the balcony. When she reached it she double checked to make sure the guards were all at the front before she took her rope and twirled it for a moment before throwing it up onto the ledge. Making sure it was secure this time, Krystal began the long climb up._

_This was always the risky part, and she was glad that she had the ape to distract the guards. Eventually she managed to pull herself up onto the balcony. She pulled her hook loose and wrapped up the rope, attaching it to her belt and grinning at the success of her venture. She turned and walked back down the hallway, but as she walked around the corner to go up the stairs she froze and blanked her face, standing to the side with her arms straight just as the guards did when she passed by._

_Her father walked by her as well, not really paying attention, most likely heading for the front wall to see what the alert was about. Half way down the hallway though he turned around and gave her a second look, a frown on his face, but with duty calling him to the front he couldn't stay to wonder about the heavily armed guard. He turned and continued down the hallway, with Krystal giving a sigh of relief. _

_The rest of her journey passed with out incident. She made it back to her room and stored her gear in the loose panel, stripped out of her guard uniform, and hid it under her bed. Then she finally laid down and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly._

_Her sleep was short lived however, as she was shaken awake by her mother less than an hour later. When Krystal finally managed to wake up enough to push herself up right in her bed her mother shook her head and made a clicking sound with her mouth. "You must stop staying up so late Krystal, I thought I would never get you awake. Quickly get dressed, the King has something important to show us."_

_Krystal blinked slowly as she took in her mother, who was already dressed in a fine gown of white and gold that ran down to just kiss the floor slightly when ever she moved. While the King was tall and stately with his deep voice, her mother was shorter with a higher tone, like tinkling glass. Whenever she spoke, people paid attention, and not because she commanded it like her Father, just because of her voice. Her long hair ran down in a braided pony tail that stopped just above her waist, and every few inches or so a thin silver bracer wrapped around the hair. Her tail was not as fluffy as her fathers, but it still stood out in places where the silver bracers wrapped it too. Her eyes were a startling __amethyst __purple hue that stood out among the blue fur of her face._

_Krystal moaned as she fell back into the bed and pulled the covers up, only to squeak in surprise when her mother grabbed them jerked them away. It was then that Krystal remembered that she got her adventurous and sometimes stubborn streak from her mother. "Get dressed Krystal, we're needed in the throne room." Her mother walked over to the door before turning her dark purple eyes on her daughter once more. "I'll be back in a few minutes and you best be ready."_

_Krystal sighed as her mother left the room she rolled off the bed and went to her closet, pulling out her white dress and sliding it on over her head and cinching the cloth belt around her waist. She reached for the small stand where her necklace sat and clasped it behind her neck. She looked in the mirror and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes._

_As she finished and stepped towards the door it swung open to reveal her mother, who smiled at her and gestured her out into the hallway. Krystal walked out and waited for her mother to close the door and lead the way to the throne room. As they walked Krystal realized that she was already as tall as the queen and smiled as she realized that soon her mother would have to look up to talk to her._

_It wasn't long before they entered the throne room where her father was, staring out at the small bed that had been assembled. Around it the palace's doctors crowded around the form there and Krystal felt her heart sink, she knew who would be there. She had kept her adventures outside the wall a secret, but she remembered grimly that the ape had seen her face and if he spoke up about her rescuing him, she knew her freedom to explore would be over._

_Her mother sat on her throne next to her father and Krystal went to stand by her mother, as was her place. They stood there for a few moments before the doctors looked at each other and nodded, backing away from the bed and bowing to the King and Queen. "He is stable my Lord, but if you wish him to survive, he should rest."_

_Krystal took one glance at the bed before locking eyes with the ape. He started to open his mouth but she shook her head slightly. He blinked and turned his gaze back to the King and Queen. Eventually though her father spoke up. "Who are you?"_

_The ape opened his mouth and coughed, his voice rough. "I'm Dr. Bowman. I was attacked by outlaws above your planet and crashed near by."_

_Her father nodded "Your injuries were quite serious, how did you manage to get to our walls."_

_The ape paused for a moment. "I think it was one of your guards that helped me. But my memories are...fragmented, I can't really tell you for certain."_

_Her father frowned before speaking up again. "Very well Dr. Bowman, what exactly is it that you do?"_

_The question and answer session lasted long into the morning, and Krystal was glad when it ended, as it allowed her to slip away to her quarters to sleep. When she woke late in the afternoon, she found out that Dr. Bowman had been moved into an empty room nearby as a guest of her father. She waited until night before she slipped out of her room and down the hallway into his._

_When she entered she found the doctor wide awake and staring out the window. He hadn't appeared to notice her and she cleared her throat to get his attention. He jumped slightly and turned to face her, his eyes widening when he realized who it was._

_Krystal started off "Thank you for not telling them about me."_

_Dr. Bowman nodded "I'm guessing that they do not approve of you sneaking out?"_

_Krystal scoffed and leaned against the wall. "If my parents had their way, I would be locked inside the palace forever."_

_Dr Bowman was quite for a moment. "I see, so why do you stay then?" he glanced out the window. "I saw other settlements from my ship, there must be other places you can go."_

_Krystal glanced out the window as well. "There are other towns, but they all answer to my father, they would let him know if I ended up there."_

_Dr. Bowman nodded again, "So then, why don't you leave Cerinia behind altogether, just get on board a ship and explore space, the Lylat system where I'm from isn't too far away."_

_Krystal sighed "We don't have ships here, my father wishes up to stay separate from others. So we have no ships to go to other planets with."_

_Dr. Bowman fell quiet for just a while. "I have a ship you know. I could offer you a chance to leave."_

_Krystal looked at him for the first time since she entered the room. "I saw your ship, it is twisted metal out in the jungle."_

_Dr. Bowman smiled "Ah my dear, not that ship, that was an escape shuttle. I have a much larger craft that I sent away when I was fleeing from the outlaws. It will return in a months time, and I can summon another shuttle to pick me up. Why don't you use that time to think about my offer. If you decide to, I will gladly let you take the shuttle where ever you wish to go." He paused "Although there is one thing I would need in return."_

_Krystal raised an eyebrow at the ape, still doubtful of this offer, but some part of her jumping at the bit to leave Cerinia. "What exactly is that?" she asked_

_Dr. Bowman smiled. "I was tracking a comet that passed this way a very very long time ago. The comet is important to my studies and would greatly benefit my people. I don't suppose you know of anything that could tell me if it landed here on Cerinia?"_

_Krystal was silent for a moment "There is a legend." she started off slowly. "A great magical rock fell from the sky long ago, it hit our planet and burrowed into our it's core. As it did so it granted every Cerinian a gift."_

_Dr. Bowman sat forward "What gift?" he asked sharply, eagerness in his tone._

_Krystal frowned at him for a moment before she closed her eyes and focused just like she had been taught. "The gift of Telepathy." she sent to his mind. _

_Dr. Bowman's eyes widened as her voice sounded in his head. "Amazing." he whispered. "Do you know where this rock was supposed to have fallen?"_

_Krystal paused again, unsure if she should tell him. But her hope that his offer was genuine pressed through her caution and she continued. "It is said that when the rock landed it made the mountains that are behind this palace. There are also tales of great caves that run down into the center of our planet, where the rock awaits."_

_She looked at Dr. Bowman as he sat back in his bed again. "Thank you Princess, that was exactly what I needed to hear. If you decide to leave, come back to me in a month and I will honor my promise."_

_Krystal nodded "I will think about it, and please, if we are alone, call me Krystal."_

_Dr Bowman smiled and nodded in return, holding out a hand that she took. "Very well Krystal, why don't you call me Andross then."_

_Krystal smiled as she shook his hand "Alright Andross, sleep well, I'll come check on you tomorrow." with that Krystal left the room._

* * *

"Wow, cozy."

Kursed stood up in a rush and extended her staff even though she knew it would be more of a hindrance in the cramped confines of her ship. She stared at Fox in anger as he smiled softly as scaring her into reacting so fast.

"Who said you could come aboard?" she demanded softly, as much malice as she could coating her words.

Fox shrugged his shoulders, then winced and rubbed his injured shoulder gently. "I called up the ladder, but you didn't answer."

Kursed narrowed her eyes as she collapsed the staff. "So you just came in?! Nobody else is allowed on my ship unless they're a mark!"

Fox meanwhile had stopped listening, his attention had been drawn to the staff as it had collapsed in on itself. His heart thudded hollowly in his chest, the last time he had seen that staff...

"Where did you get that?" he asked softly, something about his voice carrying a dangerous tone. Something more threatening then Kursed's soft voice that she had greeted him with.

Kursed turned her gaze to the staff and thought quickly, trying to come up with an acceptable answer. She turned her gaze back to Fox. "Black market dealer." she said simply. "Why?"

Fox took a step forward. "Where..." he stopped as his throat closed on him, he swallowed heavily and tried again. "Where was this dealer?"

Kursed shrugged "I found him in the Sargasso region. Why do you care so much?"

Fox closed his eyes and clenched his fists staring at the ground. When he raised his gaze to hers again he spoke up. "I'll answer your question...if you let me hold the staff."

Kursed looked at the staff for a moment, then decided that no harm could come of it. She held it out, and when he placed his open paw below hers, she let it drop into his hand. He closed his digits around it and shut his eyes at the same time. He stayed that way for a moment, just breathing in and out softly. Kursed was about to ask him what he was doing when he extended the staff and pointed it at her. She raised her head in response to the staffs head being put under his chin and Fox opened his eyes, watching her.

Eventually he spoke. "This staff belonged to Krystal." he paused again. "Who was this black market dealer, did he say where or who he got it from?"

Kursed swallowed softly, feeling the the staff ride her adams apple. "No, and if you don't take the staff off of my neck, I'll make sure you don't wake up until we get back from Cerinia."

Fox closed his eyes and collapsed the staff. He backed away from Kursed and towards the small bulk head that separated her armory from the rest of her ship. He dropped the staff as he leaned up against the bulk head, holding a hand to his head as the staff rolled across the ground to stop next to Kursed's boot. She bent down and picked it up, her ears twitching as she heard Fox mummer something.

"What was that?" she asked.

Fox shook his head, his breathing fast. "I'm sorry, I..." he stopped again. "I used that staff for a while, and it created some sort of bond with me. That is, was, Krystal's staff, and I figured who ever murdered her took it. Its been my first real clue as to who might have done it." he brought his gaze to hers and she could see the hurt in his eyes, fresh again. "I'm sorry, I just...when I held it, it was like Krystal was standing next to me again. Like maybe I could redeem myself for driving her away by catching her killer." he sighed and slid down to the floor and braced his arms on his knees."

Kursed said nothing, she just turned back to the cockpit and placed the staff underneath her seat as she sat down. She forced herself to keep her breathing steady, eventually she spoke up. "I don't have any more information for you McCloud. The only thing I can tell you is that he was a wondering black market dealer."

After a while she heard Fox stand up and walk up behind her. He was silent for a moment. "Again, I'm sorry." he paused for another breath. "Look, I came to find you for two reasons. With my Arwing destroyed, I need to ask you if I can ride down to Cerinia with you, Katt's ship doesn't have room for two." he paused as if waiting for her to say no, when she didn't he continued. "I also need your advice on what type of gear we need for Cerinia."

Kursed stared at the scans on her screen, silent for so long that Fox eventually spoke up again.

"Kursed?"

She stood up suddenly and Fox backed away hurriedly. "Light clothing, we'll be hiking through about two miles of jungle. So make sure its light and allows you free movement as there isn't really a solid path to follow. Also make sure you have some sort of close quarters weapon on you, by the time you realize somethings attacking you and you draw a ranged weapon, it will already be to close to you."

Fox nodded as she walked past him and towards her room. "And the first thing?"

Kursed paused in the small doorway. "Be ready to leave in six hours."

Fox nodded "So that's a yes then?"

Kursed just glanced at him before giving a sharp nod and walking into her room. "Until then, get the hell off my ship." she shut the door as she said the last and Fox sighed softly, glad that she hadn't at least punched him for what he had done. He left the ship and was standing in the elevator before he sighed and let his thoughts over come him again.

When he saw her with that staff, shock had been a prime emotion, but there was something else, something that he couldn't even really admit it to himself. It had started with the dream, escalated upon confirming the Bond, and had only picked up in power since the kiss. Not the one she had used to distract him in the fight, the one he couldn't remember. ROB had thought he might be interested in the med bay security footage from when he had been unconscious, he had expected that it was Kursed stealing something from him, some small part of him hoped it was that. Instead he watched her lean over and with a face fully of worry and what looked like love, kiss him. It had lasted for quite a while and Fox was sad to find no memory of it.

Not for the first time he entertained the though of perhaps actually trying something with Kursed. If it could be possible. He shook his head and went to go and talk to Falco and Katt. Focusing on the mission ahead and trying to push Kursed from his thoughts.

Just over six hours later found Fox back on Kursed's ship as it lifted off from the deck and headed for the cold darkness of space. Falco's Arwing and Katt's ship launching afterwords and following Kursed's ship down told the surface.

"So, why did we have to leave at this particular time again?"

Kursed tapped the radio button. "Because Falco, the best landing zone should just be getting sunlight, by the time we land it'll give us the full day to work our way through the jungle and to the main village. Now, shut up and follow me down, any other questions can wait until we've landed."

Kursed shut off the radio and turned her attention back to flying, it wasn't long though before a beeping from her control panel had her activate her comm again. "Are you two seeing the same thing I am?"

It was Katt's voice that responded. "You mean the sudden draining of our shields like they weren't even there? Yea, we noticed. Your people got any technology like that?"

"No. If they do, they acquired it after I left."

Falco's voice spoke up next. "How long was that?"

Kursed paused for a moment, "Long time ago. For now, we still push on, we need to make planet fall before something else happens to the ships. I don't want to be in the gravity well if we suddenly lose power to the engines."

There was a pause before Katt spoke up again. "Fair point. Lead on."

Thankfully nothing else happened and Kursed set her ship down in a small clearing that served as the landing zone whenever a ship from another planet came to talk treaty with the King. Katt and Falco both landed next to her and exited their ships, Kursed shut down her ship and looked at Fox, jerking her head towards the exit. He nodded and left the ship. Kursed grabbed her staff from under her seat and stopped in her armory to grab her pistol before dropping down to the ground as well. She walked out from underneath her ship and took her first real look at her home planet since she had left.

After a moment, she turned to the three other pilots behind her. "Welcome to Cerinia."

* * *

**-**_Cerinia, _**The Past-**

* * *

_As the door closed and Krystal walked away, Andross's smile slid off his face, replaced with a frown. "Savages." he muttered under his breath. "Still, if what she said is true, she might have helped me with my overall goal." he rubbed his chin with his hand. "If everything proceeds according to plan in Lylat, I shall soon be free to manipulate these people as I see fit, and if that includes sending off the princess to cause some chaos, well, that's just better." he grinned evilly as he thought about what his latest project was no doubt doing on Venom at this very moment._

_**Okay, there you have it, a quick peak into Krystal's memories and a hint as to why she acts the way she does in the flash backs. Obviously I took a little...freedom...with the Star Fox lore, hope you all don't mind, its kinda important to the story.**_

_**Anyway, sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I feel really bad about that, I'll start trying to work on the next chapter soonish. But, I might be taking a small break to finish some of my other stories and get them done, so I can focus on this one.**_

_**OH! Sly Cooper, I'm working on one of those too, its set after Thieves in Time though, so I won't be posting it for a while, just to give more people a chance to beat it and me not spoil stuff.**_

_**Right! Just a few things left, its time for the Guest reviews:**_

_**4RT: Sssshhhhhh... Dont tell anybody its a secret. In truth they wont matter to the main plot of **_**this ****_story. : P_**

_**Guest: Glad you stopped hiding! Welcome! I'm happy you're enjoying the story, and hopefully I'll keep your attention for the rest of it eh? P.S. Come up with a name to leave that way if another 'guest' comes along I wont get ya confused.**_

_**Dayton17: Thanks, and you know what? Me too! I have no idea what happens next, I just go with the flow. Here's hoping it will still be grand eh?**_

_**Also, a hearty thanks to Cpt. Fox for betaing what he could, He took time out of his busy ass schedule to help me, so again, thanks a ton for that.**_

_**So, I'm thinking of making a cover image for this story, you guys got any ideas? Let me know in a review or a PM.**_

_**Well, I think that's it, except for the fact that this story will start to earn its other M rating, [Violence] in the next few chapters, plus I get to **_**really****_ have some fun with the by play between Kursed and Fox. Like I said to Dayton, I have no idea what the details are, but I do have a vague idea and I know I'm going to enjoying typing it...what ever it is ha ha._**

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	7. The Fate of a Cerinian Part 1

_**Its...its just so empty...**_

_**Oh...right, its Tuesday, and this is long overdue I guess.**_

_**So, this chapter should have been up a long while ago, but, well, life has been harsh these past few weeks. It started Easter Weekend, or rather the Friday night before. We took my dog into the vet, and found out he had cancer, we told them to operate, and I went to bed Friday night knowing that the operation went good and my dog was doing great.**_

_**Then the next Saturday morning I get woken up to find out that Faust died during the night. I suppose I should say at this point that I grew up with Faust, I raised him, and he me, I loved him like a brother, and he was also part of my writing inspiration. My daily schedule for the past year has involved him in someway, and now, with the empty house, and my empty room where he used to sleep. I just haven't been right ever since, it feels like part of me is missing.**_

_**Then, just when I started to try and write again, which was about last week, something else happened. I was sitting in my backroom at work, enjoying my break when I get a call from a family friend, and she tells me that my Dad is being life flighted down into the nearby hospital. The only good news on that front is my Dad is still alive and somewhat well.**_

_**Still, all of this has needless to say, thrown me off my groove rather badly. So, this chapter is short, and I'm sure its not the best. For that I apologize, and I hope that the next update won't suck so hard, and won't be so short. Also, I haven't even looked though this chapter, so lots of mistakes I'm sure.**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 7: _**The Fate of a Cerinian/Part 1  
**

* * *

Fox glanced around at the large clearing that Kursed had called their landing zone. Large vibrant trees, of dark yellows and glowing reds, stretched up around them, their big green leafy canopies touching each other to help blot out the sun underneath them. In the center sat a stone circle with a raised central point that looked like it once held a torch. But now the stone was worn, its edges ground down into a smooth edge. If there ever was a torch in the stand at the center it had long since rotted away as well. Around the stone sat the three ships, Katt and Kurseds ships with Falcos Arwing sitting in between them, the positions of the ships forming the shape of a triangle.

Katt and Falco were standing next to his Arwing, Falco keep a wary eye on the jungle while Katt bent down to examine one of the many colorful plants that decorated the clearing. Falco was dressed in long jean pants that hugged his legs but still allowed him some free movement. A belt holding various forms of ammo and explosives ran across his waist and his left thigh, a green tank top tucked into the pants covered his upper body with another ammo pouch strapped across his left arm. He, like the rest of them, were all wearing hiking boots. From the belt on his thigh hung his revolver and he cradled a light machine gun in his hands, strung across his back in a loose sheath was a large blade, over top that was a small bag of supplies.

Katt had elected for cut off jeans and a green tank top as well. Lashed across her waist was her tool belt, and although a few of the loops still held some of her tools one of them had been replaced with a holster for a heavy blaster pistol, and from another loop hung a short sword that just barely touched the edge of her jeans. Her bag of supplies was smaller and strapped to her belt and snuggled into her lower back.

Fox glanced down at himself, his outfit was similar to Falco's except for the fact that he wore a normal brown t-shirt with his jeans and while he had a belt across his waist it was also connected to the bag he wore on his back full of supplies for the trip, dark brown gloves covered his hands, made of a tough but flexible material. His custom blaster was in a holster across his right thigh and he had a machete strapped to his left thigh. He turned his gaze to where Kursed was kneeling next to the stone platform and rubbing its smooth edges. She was dressed in loose jeans, a black t-shirt, and her black fingerless gloves, her hair was pulled back into a high pony tail that hung down to stop just shy of her shoulders. She had one knee on the ground as she examined the stone and in her left hand she held her staff, a holster for the collapsed version hanging from her right shoulder. From her right hip hung a holster for a large handgun that had Falco raising an eyebrow when he first saw it. Her own pouch of supplies was laying on the ground next to her, and on her left hip hung a holster for a normal heavy blaster.

Fox walked up to stand just behind her where she was still rubbing the stone. "What's so interesting about this platform?"

Kursed glanced over her shoulder with a frown. "This." she said as she stood up and quickly drew her heavy blaster and shooting at the platform which sent the energy blast soaring into the sky as it bounced the beam away. Falco and Katt looked up at the sound of the blaster firing and Fox took a step back in shock. After a moment he drew his own blaster and fired it as well, again, the blast was sent into the sky.

"What the hell is that stone made of?" Falco asked as he came over, having watched Fox's shot.

Kursed kept her gaze on the stone as she knelt back down to examine it. "The stone of this platform is special. I've never seen it take damage, not even when a ship crashed directly into it. Yet, something has worn the edges down." she glanced at the three behind her as she stood up. "The fact that it was worn down like that is not a good sign." Fox watched as she tightened her grip on the staff. "Come on, its a five hour hike to the village."

"Whats the village like?" Kursed paused at Falcos sudden question.

"What do you mean?"

Falco shrugged "Is it walled up or something or just this open area?"

Kursed paused. "It has a wall around it, a big thick thing made of a reddish brown sandstone from the near deserts at the poles. Around the palace the village is a little cramped, but it opens up around the outskirts near the wall." She glanced at Falco. "Why?"

The avian shrugged again, his bag rustling gently "I just wanted to know what to be on the look out for."

Kursed nodded "Ah, any other questions?" instead of letting them speak up, she walked past them and headed for a small trail on the side of the clearing. Fox and Falco exchanging looks before following with Katt. They caught up with Kursed as she was rounding a bend in the trail. "Keep alert, there are a lot of things that hunt in Cerinias jungle." she paused "None of them friendly."

The group spent the entirety of the hike in silence, Kursed forgot to mention that there was a lot of sharp hills and slopes along the way. So, although Fox had questions in his mind, things he wanted to know about Kursed and how well she knew the area. He kept quite to keep his focus on the path in front of him, watching for when the trail was overgrown with vines and branches, and for where to put his feet when they scaled the hills and slide down the other ends.

Eventually Kursed came to a stop and glanced around cautiously, causing Fox, who was behind her to close the distance. "Whats wrong?" he asked softly, worried by her actions.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "I would tell you to shut it before you got us caught. But, I don't think that's a problem anymore."

Fox raised an eyebrow at her "Caught?"

Kursed nodded "We're almost to the main village. We should have been seen by at least three sentries by now." Kursed turned back her gaze to further back down the pathway. "At the very least we should have been stopped."

"How far away is the village?"

Kursed kept glancing down the pathway, scanning it for threats. "Not far, ten minutes of walking, if that." she glanced back at Fox. "We should keep moving, its not safe until we get to the front gates."

Fox nodded and gestured for Falco and Katt to start moving again and the four of them set off down the path, a new sense of caution in their stances. In a matter of minutes they found themselves looking at the front gates.

"Oh..." Kursed whispered word had Fox glancing at her before turning his gaze to the wall.

The sandstone that Kursed said the wall was made of was there. But it was buried under a black coating if ash.

Fox knelt down on the edge of the pathway and ran his fingers through the soft fluff. "It ends right here at the edge of the jungle." he pinched a bit of the ash in between his fingers and lifted it up, rubbing it and letting it sift back down to the ground in flakes. "Its like some sort of fire only affected the area around the city."

Kursed took a slow step out into the ash field in front of them. Her foot sank into the dust and she glanced down at the cracks that spread out from her foot. "It's at least three inches deep." she glanced over her shoulder as she continued her slow march towards the wall and the now gray doors that guarded the entrance. "How did it not get blown away by now?"

Falco joined Fox and Katt as they walked out into the ash field as well. "What do you mean?" he asked as they walked.

"Do you smell any hints of a fire? This ash is old, yet its caked to the ground. Something...bad...caused this."

Fox and Falco found themselves drawing their weapons as they got closer to the wall. They reached the edge and Fox walked over to the wall and pressed his finger in, it sank half an inch into the ash before he felt the hard stone beneath the coating of dust. "Its stuck fast to the wall as well, almost like it was pressed on."

Kursed had moved over to the doors and reached out a hand to touch them. As she did so the gray door crumbled away dropping into a pile in front of her. Startled she took a step back before she reached down into the pile and lifted a large piece of metal out a few inches. "Brace for the door." she said softly as she let the metal sink back into the pile. She stepped through the archway above her, keeping a wary eye on it before she turned her view to the houses around her. She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her as her eyes were greeted with the sight of the collapsed huts. A few stood with a few walls intake, and every now and then there was one that was only missing the grass roof. Otherwise the rest of them laid in crumbled heaps around them.

Fox and Falco stood on either side of Katt as the group made their way slowly through the ash village with Kursed in the lead. Their fur and feathers standing on end as the creepy atmosphere affected them even in the bright sunlight from above. Eventually they reached a grand stairway that led up to the main palace doors. The group stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the ash covered palace.

"This isn't right."

Fox glanced over at Kursed who was staring at the gray walls with a deep frown. "What do you mean?"

"I had hoped there would be survivors, even though I knew it wasn't likely, but, this...this weird ash crap."

Fox nodded "It is...different. More then a little creepy too."

Kursed glanced around her, her paw tightening around her staff. Fox was looking around as well, but his view was on the ground and he bent down suddenly to brush off a large stone tablet. He ran his finger across the groves in the stone. "Hey Kursed, Is this Cerinian?"

Kursed glanced down at the slab and knelt to briefly studied the words. She frowned before she whispered softly. "Darola ta te Prola tel Caranin." She said softly.

Fox stood up. "Whats that mean?"

Kursed stood up as well, she glanced at Fox before turning her gaze back to the stairs in front of them. "Welcome to the Palace of Cerinia." She started up the stairs. "Well, should we see if the King and Queen are in?"

Falco spoke up as the three of them followed her. "If they are in, I don't think I want to see what they have been up to."

The group made their way up the stairs and into the shadow of the palace, as they reached the landing at the top and headed for the doors.

"Fox, you see that?"

Fox nodded at Falco, "Those doors haven't been touched by whatever charred the main gates."

Kursed spoke up as she reached the doors and placed a paw on them. "Or the doors to the huts." She pushed gently on the door. "These have been, reinforced as well. Something is blocking it from the other side." She gave a stronger push, putting her body into it. "Defiantly blocked."

"Uh...guys?" Katt spoke up for the first time since entering the village.

Fox and Falco were staring at the door while Kursed tried to force her way in one more time.

Katt was backing away from the stairs. "Hey! Guys! We got bigger issues back here!"

Fox and Falco turned around while Kursed looked away from the door.

Falco jumped slightly and aimed his blaster at the stairs "Where the hell did they come from?"

A line of figures were standing on the top of the stairs, seemingly formed from the shadows that covered the landing.

Kursed sighed and drew her large handgun from her holster. "I can't sense anything, so they aren't Cerinian. I want to see who barred this door, waste em." Kursed pulled the trigger on her weapon and the round exploded out of the barrel and blasted a hole right through the head of the lead form. The shell landing softly in the ash on the landing.

The shadow fell over as the rest of them backed up.

Kursed scoffed. "They won't-" Kursed paused and drew in a deep breath, her eyes wide.

Fox glanced over his shoulder at her. "Kursed?"

Kursed lowered her suddenly shaky arm, her grip loosening on the now heavy gun. It fell from her hand as Kursed reached out her other arm to brace herself on the door. Her chest was heavy, and she felt like she couldn't draw a breath. She slid down to her knees, tears building in her eyes while a tremendous pressure grew in her head, a roaring sound forming and drowning out all other noise. "Fo..Fox.." she whispered quietly.

Fox glanced at the line of figures, which were still standing on the edge of the landing. "Falco, Blow that door open. If we need to collapse the doorway to bar the way later, so be it. Katt, watch them, let me know if they move toward us."

Falco nodded, throwing his blaster to Katt, who caught it and aimed at the figures. Falco moved towards the door and reached for his belt of explosives, pulling out a small explosive disk and working on priming the device. Fox moved towards Kursed, when he reached her, he placed his hands under her arms and dragged her away from the door. He propped her against the wall and moved around lifting her face gently with his paws. "Kursed. Can you hear me."

Kursed blinked and stared at Fox. "Fo...Fox?" she reached a hand out to rub his cheek, but withdrew it a hiss as she grabbed her head and closed her eyes.

"Kursed."

Kursed pushed away from Fox, sliding along the wall. "No...no...no, no, nonononononono." she paused, as Falco stepped away from the door. Kursed grabbed her head with both of her hands as the figures started to advance. "_Orderina Tel Caranin, Ouy tayo te lang ra te tao."_

Falco glanced at Kursed. "Whats wrong with her?"

Fox shook his head. "I'm not sure. Hows the door?"

Falco glanced at the door and held up a finger. The shaped charge exploded a moment later blowing the door into splinters. Fox and Falco each grabbed Kursed under an arm and headed for the hole. Kursed continued to mutter. "_Ouyr dara sa ta pratc, nar ta deh, nayo gari ouy tae rin." _Fox shouted at Katt as Falco and Fox dragged Kursed through the doorway. "Katt. Lets go."

Katt nodded and opened fire at the feet of the figures which stumbled back as the four of them made it into the entryway. Fox spotted a set of steel bars set in the ceiling. "Katt, blast the bar supports."

Katt nodded and waited till Falco and Fox had set Kursed down on the other side of the bars before she blasted the bars, dropping heavy iron across the hallway and barring the creatures who had just started entering through the doorway.

Katt waited while the creatures stared at the iron before they started withdrawing. She gave a sigh as the last one withdrew before turning to the rest of them. "Okay...what the hell was that?!" she pointed at Kursed. "And what the hell is she saying."

Fox shook his head. "I don't know, I think its Cerinian though."

Kursed shook slightly and continued to mumble, her eyes rolling underneath her lids. "_Ouy har feem ra ouyr dara. Ouy har feem ta pratc. Sare tare. Sare tare."_

Fox sighed and glanced down the hallway. "Come on, lets check the rest of this place out. Make sure they can't get in from another way." Fox stood up and glanced at Kursed before turning his gaze back towards the other two. "Welcome to the Palace of Cerinia."

* * *

_**Well, there you have it, sorry again it so short, I don't have a lot to say at this point, so I'll head right into the Guest reviews.**_

_**Leo 3538: Glad you enjoyed, and as for the cover image, I'm working on it. **_

_**I'm hooked: Sorry for the long update. Life.**_

_**Dayton17: Your last guest review! I look forward to sending a pm to your new account! Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and glad your enjoying the other story.**_

_**Fpastrelo: Was confusing at first wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed, and got it.**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews, and remember, keep reviewing, even if I'm not in the mood to write, the review still help to churn ideas, so the more reviews the better.**_

_**-Emile.**_


	8. The Fate of a Cerinian Part 2

_**Well, I'm back, its quick I know, but its another short chapter, because this was supposed to be part of the last chapter, hence the whole Part 1 and 2 stuff. Sorry about that by the way, apparently if I had just waited for a few weeks, I could have finished the full chapter and gotten it up in one go. Considering how big my drive was to work on this, and how much I want to work on my other active stories, I take that as a sign that I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. I guess we'll see though.**_

_**It also doesn't hurt that Cpt. Fox updated one of his stories today, I read that and it reignited my drive with a fierce flame. So here is hoping that he updates Broken II or Fate, cause, that would be just grand. Plus imagine how much I would type if they have the same effect ha ha.  
**_

_**So, before I leave you with the next chapter, its gets a little mystical here, or rather, a lot of mystical, I hinted at this in chapter 6, and you get to see some fuller effects of all that here. Hopefully I wont loose to many of you with this semi sudden turn. I know I lost quite a few of you over the last updates, or rather, they have stopped reviewing, which usually means to me that they haven't anything good to say. **_

_**Meh, back to the story, I'm not quite sure where this is going to lead off, but it felt right while I was typing it, so I'm going with it. Speaking of, I think we should start with whats happening to Krystal...**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 8: _**The Fate of a Cerinian/Part 2**

* * *

"I can't sense anything, so they aren't Cerinian. I want to see who barred this door, waste em."

It started as soon as her finger tightened on the trigger of her weapon, just a forbidding sense of doom descending upon her, draping over her shoulders like a cloak, sinking through her skin and bones to settle on her very being, her very soul. Time seemed to slow for a minute as the flash from her weapon lit her eyes and the round sped to its target, which for a moment didn't look like a melted shadow, she saw a quick hint of blue before time resumed its normal flow.

As her spent shell settled into the dust she scoffed and opened her mouth "They won't-" she closed it again as something winded her. Her eyes widened as a odd panic overtook her brain and she sucked in a greedy breath to try and restore her lost breath. Her arms started to shake as adrenalin flooded her system, her grip loosening on her gun which now felt like it weighed a ton, she was vaguely aware of Fox glancing at her and calling her name as her gun started to fall to the ash covered ground.

She felt her balance shifting and reached out a hand to brace it against the wooden door next to her. She gulped heavily and her erratic breathing took on a heavy tone as the pressure on her chest that first winded her, refused to go away. Each breath felt like it was through a straw while she was buried underground. She felt her eyes wetting with tears as a pressure came to painful surging life inside her brain, she almost felt like somebody was squeezing her head in a vice.

Her balance failed and she leaned her shoulder against the door as she fell to her knees. She wanted to reach out and touch somebody, and the first person she thought of was Fox. She tried to call out, but she barley managed to get the name whispered out of her dry mouth. She was briefly aware of Fox giving out orders as a roaring sound of anguish crept into her ears, quickly building into a crescendo that quickly overcame all other sounds. Her eyes were squeezed shut against the pain in her head, and now she couldn't hear anything either.

Kursed was lost, awash in thoughts and feelings that were not her own. Pain. Fear. Rage. Sadness. Trapped. Hopeless. These were just a few of the emotions that swamped her as she struggled to keep her mind in one piece. She wasn't aware of how long the noise sounded, she knew that as some point she had been moved, but she couldn't take much more. Just as she was ready to throw in the towel and fade away into the sounds and the voices in her head, another voice cut a screaming swath through everything else, ending them in an instant. In that single moment, as the voices stopped, the pressure around her skull lessened and faded as well, her heart rate calmed down and she suddenly felt like herself.

"-rsed, can you hear me?"

Against her better judgment, Kursed forced her eyes open to take in her surroundings, she blinked a few times before a vulpine face swam into view. Her mind managed to connect the face to Fox and she reached out a trembling hand out towards his cheek. "Fo...Fox?" she asked softly, not quite sure of what was going on, she knew that he was holding her muzzle in his hands, but that was about it. As her fingers touched his fur though, a searing pain burned across her head and she pulled back with a hiss, she grabbed her head and wished for the pressure that had been there before to return.

"Kursed."

Fox called out to her again, but the name he used was wrong, she wasn't Kursed, she was Krystal, Krystal!

Just like that the voices returned, and Krystal tried to tell Fox that, but all that came out of her mouth was a string of no's that quickly merged into one another as the voices swimming about in her mind gathered in intensity. Then just as quickly as they had come again, the voices were gone, and Krystal opened her eyes as the pain faded. She closed them and blinked again as she took in her surroundings.

The blinding light has stopped her at first, but that had quickly faded and Krystal found herself standing at the base of the palace steps. She darted her head side to side as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Around her, people, her people, were going about their daily business in the village. She couldn't make heads or tails of it, the village was destroyed, she saw it, had felt the ash drift through her paws, tasted it on her tongue when she inhaled.

"_Krystal."_

Krystal spun around as her father walked around the corner of the stairs to the palace and approached her. He held his staff in hand, fully extended, and he marched towards her in the last thing she had seen him in. The flowing robes had been replaced with a tight fitting tunic and pants, both of which were covered up with leather armor with polished armor plates covering his chest, lower legs, and arms. Under one arm, he held a helm made of the same gleaming metal, and Krystal found herself staring at the helmet, her eyes pulled to her own reflection.

She blinked, trying to understand what she was seeing, it almost looked like she was split in two. One half of her was how she used to her look, her robes and tattoos clearly visible, but the other half was shrouded in darkness and she could barley make out the outfit she had worn down to Cerinia. She pulled her gaze from the helmet and back to her father.

"Father?" she asked softly.

Her father grinned sadly then shook his head, when he opened his mouth, his voice was like the one she had first heard. Somehow it sounded like tens of thousands of Cerinians talking all at once.

"_No. Your Father died doing his best to protect his people. To protect Cerinia."_

Krystal blinked and glanced at the ground, she wasn't sure what was going on, but something in this figure in front of her spoke so clearly that she could feel the truth of his, its words. Her Father was dead, even though she had doubted it from the start, some small part of her had hoped.

"_As for what is going on, it's rather complicated, I can't explain it, but I took this form because I knew it would comfort you."_

Krystal brought her gaze back up to her 'father' as he spoke. "So, this is all in my mind then? I'm imagining it?" She said the words forcefully as if they would make them true.

Her 'father' frowned at her.

"_I know your father raised you correctly, you know what this is."_

Krystal raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Honestly, so much has happened, and with that strange noise and pressure, for all I know, I'm unconscious and imaging all of this."

Her 'father' sighed.

"_Oh, you are unconscious, we wouldn't be able to talk otherwise. As for proof that this is real, how about this."_

The image of her father brought his staff up and tapped it on the ground once. Krystal hissed in pain and clenched her paws for a moment before she raised them up to her eyes and slowly opened them. A red line ran across both palms, and Krystal's eyes widened. She lowered her paws, the pain forgotten as she stared at her 'father'. "The bonding ceremony." she said softly.

Her 'father' smiled and nodded.

Krystal glanced down at her palms once more. "But...how?"

"_When you killed one of those you were bonded to protect, it created an opening for me to speak to you."_

Krystal blinked and thought for a moment, her mind drew a blank for a moment. She frowned as she spoke up. "But...that thing...it wasn't a Cerinian, I would have felt it."

"_Are you sure? You have been away from your kind for so long, you have forgotten what it feels like to be among your own people."_

Krystal shook her head and dashed a hand through the air in front of her. "No. I don't believe you. I would never."

Her 'father' shook his head slowly.

"_Still you doubt. Perhaps this will convince you."_

Krystal turned her head to watch as a Cerinian walked by her to stand between her and her 'father'. He stood there for a moment, staring at her, then he smiled and raised a hand. Krystal smiled too, she suddenly knew him, knew his name, his wife, his children, she knew everything that was to know about him. "Roc." She said softly as she raised her own hand to touch his, but was horrified when she saw that she was holding her pistol. She tried to stop herself, but the gun fired and she felt the sharp recoil as the round sped through Roc's head, blowing a hole through his face and out the back of his head.

Krystal ran forward, the gun suddenly gone to cradle the dead body as red liquid spread out around her. As she held him, tears running down into her fur, his fur faded away and his skin turned gray and bubbled. Before long Krystal realized that the form she was holding like her own child and crying over was twisted and deformed, she pulled back from him, scooting back like a crab as her tears caught in her throat.

"He...He..."

Her 'father' was suddenly next to her, a hand on her shoulder.

"_He was a Cerinian, they all were. They have been twisted by a grim and dark science from a madman."_

Krystal closed her eyes and turned her head away from the grisly scene in front of her. She placed a hand on top of the one on her shoulders and frowned. She gasped and stood up, backing away from the grisly gray creature in front of her.

His limbs were stretched out past normal, and he was hunched over slightly, his face was deformed and flattened, all of his fur gone and replaced by the bubbled gray skin. His mouth was partial agape, and Krystal could see the black rotted teeth inside. His eyes were blank and were a pure white with no pupils, yet the creature still stared at her with an accusing glare. His claws were long and black, and they seemed to ooze a dark blood that pooled around him.

Krystal turned away.

"_What's the matter? Afraid to look upon your work?"_

Krystal turned back to her 'father' to see that he had returned to normal, the body of Roc was also gone. "What do you mean my work?! I didn't do that!"

Her 'father' shook his head again.

"_But you did. You led the fiend who did this straight to your village, and you were so blinded by your own desires, that you believed his lies, over and over again, until it was too late."_

He held out his staff at her.

"_You stole this, and it led to the fall of your village, and once that fell, so did the rest."_

Krystal stepped back from the staff. "I took it, but...I...how did that lead to everything I saw?"

Her 'father' pointed behind her.

"_Watch, see from the collective memories of your people. See what happened because of your selfish need to escape."_

Krystal turned around and took a step back against the wall. She glanced around her and flattened her paws against the wall to the armory room in the upper floors of the palace. In front of her, her Father, her real Father was kneeling in front of the podium where the staff normally rested. She watched as he stared at the empty spot, her mother was in the corner of the room, a red burn across her arm that a guard was working on treating.

"How is this possible?" Krystal turned her eyes to the guard standing next to her father. "Who could remove the staff?"

Her Father sighed and stood up, glancing at her Mother. "Krystal."

The guard looked at her father in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Her Father nodded. "The staff can only be removed by one of royal blood and a bond to Cerinia. Shes the only one who would. She has not been happy here as of late. I wouldn't be surprised if she took it and left before all this came upon us."

A muffled boom sounded and rubble fell from the ceiling above them. She watched as her father turned and drew a sword. He was facing the door with the weapon raised and ready, and so he was the first one who was struck by the green energy bolt from the ape who stood in the door. Krystal gasped and watched as the green beam burned right through her fathers armor and left a gaping hole behind as it blasted through him. The rattling gasp he drew as the energy left him was a sound that would haunt Krystal for the rest of her life. She tried to move, but found herself stuck against the wall, unable to move, forced to watch as more apes entered the room, and quickly made short work of the guards.

Her Mother was the last one to fall, haven taken up a sword at the last minute to try and fend off the apes. As the five burly apes surveyed the room, one of them came up to where she was.

"What about this one?" he asked out loud.

One of the apes, wearing a helmet that marked him as a superior walked over and studied Krystal for a moment. "He is already mostly gone, I'm surprised he's stayed standing this long. Finish him and lets go."

The ape who had asked the question grinned and reached out, Krystal felt his his hands on her head, and she tried to struggle, but she couldn't as her head was twisted sharply to the side.

Krystal gasped and screamed as she suddenly found herself standing in front of the steps, just like before.

"_After you left, and with your Father and Mother slain, and the princess missing, the peoples will crumbled, and it was not long before they were overrun."_

Krystal dropped to her knees, still in shock over watching her Father die, and from the being joined with the guard as he died. "I..." she cut off, unable to finish.

"_It is hard, being in ones body when they die. But it is something you need to experience. So that you'll understand."_

Krystal turned to face her 'father' "Understand what?" she asked softly, tears once again creeping into her fur.

Her 'father' stared at her. He blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes again, they were white and his voice echoed through every fiber of her being.

"_Princess of Cerinia, you are the last in the line. Your duty is to protect, not to kill, nothing gives you that right. You have failed in your duty, you have forgotten who you are. You have failed to protect, you must repair yourself. You must remember who you are, then and only then can you save them" _

Krystal shook her head. "How?" softly.

Instead of an answer, she just got the same words back. "_You must save them, SAVE THEM!"_

The last words came out in a roar the had Krystal stumbling back and tripping, as she fell into blackness, she sat up with a yell.

Gasping for breath, she rolled off the bed she was on and heaved everything she had eaten onto the floor in front of her. As she blinked the tears out of her eyes she felt two strong hands slip under her arms and pull her up. She blinked and found herself in a bathroom, in front of her sat a bowl and cup of water. She stared at them numbly for a moment before she leaned forward washed her hand and muzzle clean of the left over traces of vomit. Then she grabbed the cup and drank greedily to stave off the parched feeling in her throat. The entire time she was aware of the the warm hand pressed against her back.

She stared at her reflection in the bowl for a moment before she spoke up. "How long was I out?"

"An hour, maybe two." Fox shrugged as she turned to face him, his hand dropping to his side. "Are you okay?"

Kursed shook her head. "No, I'm really not."

Fox was silent for a moment. "What happened?"

Krystal glanced down at her palm, and the red line that ran across it. "I can't really explain it right now, I'm still trying to figure it out in my head." she returned her gaze to Fox. "All I know for sure right now are those gray...creatures...they are, or were, Cerinians."

Fox leaned up against the doorway one elbow climbing up. "And I'm just supposed to be okay with that?" Fox scoffed and shook his head. "Kursed, that's not going to fly anymore, we're trapped in here, with some weird gray creatures out there that you say were Cerinians, and you have the knowledge after you spent three and a half hours tossing and turning on that bed and mumbling in Cerinian." Fox pushed off the doorway and walked into the bedroom. "I need to know whats is going on out there Kursed, and you seem to have an idea."

Kursed followed him out, sitting on the bed while he leaned against the door to the hallway. "I thought you said it was only one or two hours?" she asked him softly.

Fox cringed, caught in the fact that he had been keeping track, and then lied about it. "Okay, its been a little bit longer then that but..." Fox trailed off. "It still doesn't change the fact that you know something. Like the Cerinians for instance."

Kursed was sitting forward, staring at the floor, her arms hanging loose across her lap. "I'm supposed to save them somehow. Cerinia chose me to save them."

Fox frowned "Save them? Is that what you were shouting when you woke up? Sare tare? Or something like that?" Fox shook his head "You know what, I'm not letting you out of this room until I get some answers, so start talking."

Kursed blinked as Fox finished talking. Something clicked inside her at that moment. "I need to fix myself." she said quietly.

Fox looked at her oddly. "What was that?"

Kursed raised her gaze and locked eyes with him, Fox opened his mouth but closed it as she continued to stare at him. "I said, I need to fix myself, so that I can save them. It just came to me right now, you and I need to have a talk, we need to get some things straightened out so that I can save them." Kursed paused. "Okay?"

Fox nodded numbly. "Okay." he said softly.

Kursed smiled softly and patted the bed next to her. "Then come sit down."

* * *

_**WHOOO! Evil Cliff hanger! AGAIN! Damn, I'm evil, but everything that is coming deserves its own chapter. As for what is coming...well...I'll let you all think about that. : P Anywhoos, I'm looking forward to the next chapter personally, I'm still not sure which way it going to go, but I'm excited either way.**_

_**So, before I get into the guest reviews, I do have some semi coolish news. While I was away, and before everything that happened over the last month...well...happened, I started writing down a bunch of Star Fox one shots into the book I take everywhere with me. I only have about six pages now, one of the stories is complete and the other is about halfway done. Seems short, but I write small, and also, remember, one shots :P also I still have lots of ideas to pen down. Either way, I'm going to upload them, I'm just not sure if I'm going to put them on my author page on Facebook, or create a collection here on FF Net. You should all sound off and let me know what you would prefer, if you would even want to read them.**_

_**Right, that should be everything, so Guest Reviews!**_

_**Blake O'Donnell: Thank you for you kind words, and as for my Dad, hes doing better, in fact he's grumpy at his co-workers because he's trying to be his normal workaholic self and they keep sending him home early. Its great. I'm not used to stopping by my parents house and hes there. Awesome name by the way : P**_

_**Guest: Thank you for your words. Like I said above, my Dad is doing well.**_

_**Well, here we are again, end of a chapter, I'm sure you all know what comes next.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	9. Talking

_**'When it comes to Fox and Krystal it's like the most complicated equation in the world, and solving it requires time and effort and brain power than I will never possess.'**_

_**Some of Cpt. Fox's words to me when I was ranting to him about how hard this chapter was to write. They just seem to sum up all my thoughts on it.. I rewrote the first three pages of this chapter Five times! Five, Freaking, times! Nothing ever seemed to really flow, or it felt like it flowed at first, then I would read through it and wonder to myself what I was thinking when I wrote it.**_

_**So, in summery, I'm sure this chapter sucks, and hopefully it will get better in the next one as we march ever on towards the end. Which I'm feeling is coming soon, but we'll see what happens. So, that is enough of me Rambling, ON TO THE CHAPTER WITH YOU!**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 9: _**Talking**

* * *

It was funny, those same words, used in a different context, and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach. Was this how she felt when he had tried to talk to her on the Great Fox only a week ago? Fox gulped hard as he nodded dumbly. "Okay." he said softly, glad his voice was still working. Then she patted the bed next to her and smiled at him and Fox forgot about his nervousness.

Fox blinked as she spoke up again. "Then come sit down."

Fox took a few slow steps over to the edge of the bed and sat down, keeping as much distance between them as possible. He leaned forward with his hands clasped in front of him before he turned his head to look at her. "So, what do we need to talk about?"

Kursed sighed and leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Honestly, I would prefer to just get out of here. But, I don't think I can avoid it anymore."

Fox focused on the floor. "Avoid what?" he asked quietly.

Kursed was silent for a while. "Talking about all this stuff, Cerinia, me, you...us..."

Fox stayed where he was, staring at the floor. "Well, starting with how you know those things out there are Cerinians is a good start. As for everything else..." For trailed off and went silent as he thought of something to say about her last word "...tackle that how you see fit."

Kursed was quiet for a while. "Cerinia has always been different, alive somehow. Legends say it was the crystal that fell to the surface ages ago. Since then, Cerinians have always been able to sense one another, and to sense something from the planet itself. While I was out, I was told about the Cerinians here, what happened to them. The 'something' has chosen me, the last Cerinian, to fix the mistake the last ruler made."

Fox looked up at Kursed. "What mistake was that?"

Kursed paused. "Trusting Dr. Andross."

Fox blinked before turning his gaze back to the floor.. "Krystal once told me that Andross was the one who destroyed her world."

Kursed turned her gaze back to the ceiling as she laid fully back on the bed, one hand tucked behind her head. "He crashed here, years ago, and Krystal saved his life, brought him to the palace here, nursed him back to health, and when the time was right, he used her to bring about the planets end."

Fox frowned. "How do you know all this?"

Kursed glanced at him again. "I was a servant here, and I followed Krystal everywhere. I saw what she was doing, knew things even her parents didn't know." she sighed and continued. "They made a deal, She told him about our past, our gifts, and he would get her off world. Never once did she see what he was until it was too late." Kursed scoffed. "She realized it at the end, realized what she had done, and she did the only thing she could think of to stop him."

"What was that?"

"She snuck into the armory and stole the staff, the staff that you used, and that I use. Its serves as a key to what Andross was after, and without it, she figured she had him stopped cold. She ran through the jungle and found his shuttle that he promised her and she got it to launch." Kursed blinked as a tear formed in the corner of her eye. "Just in time to watch Cerinia vanish. I watched too, having followed her the entire time and sneaking onto the shuttle after her." Kursed paused. "It changes you, watching your planet get destroyed. Krystal moved on, found love, fixed herself."

Fox's next words were quiet as he brought his gaze around to watch her. "and you?"

Kursed was silent for a full minute, her face thoughtful, that tear still sitting in the corner of her eye. "...I ran...I ran as long and far as I could...Eventually, I couldn't run anymore, and the pain of it all was too much. So I changed, I broke who I was, who I was meant to be, to become somebody else...just to escape the pain." Kursed paused again, taking a deep breath, and giving a dour chuckle as she closed her eyes. "I'm broken."

Fox blinked and studied her face, looking for the hatred and anger that normally dominated it. But for once, her face wasn't hardened with those emotions, instead, her jaw was slack with sadness, and a tear struggled in the corner of her eye. "Kursed?" he asked softly.

She let out a huff of air. "Cerinia chose me to save them, but I'm broken and can't do it." She paused and sighed "I need to fix myself, and I have no idea how."

Fox scooted over, and reached out and touched her paw, when she didn't draw it away he wrapped her fingers around hers. "I'm here." he paused. "How ever I can help. We'll figure this out."

Kursed glanced at him then and Fox drew in a breath of air as her voice echoed through his head. _"Really? After everything I've done to you?"_

Fox's breathing grew ragged for a few moments before he took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

"_Why?"_

Fox moved back and leaned on the bed like she was, their paws still entwined. "The easy answer? I'm the leader of this team, and I will always be there to help in anyway I can."

"Is there a hard answer?" Fox glanced at her as she actually voiced the words.

"There is." he said with a nod. "The hard answer is that ever since we left for Cerinia, part of me has been screaming that there is something about you. Something familiar."

Kursed glanced at him "I look like her."

Fox nodded. "There is that, but its more then just you looking like her. Krystal was always honorable, tough, and she cared about those around her."

Kursed scoffed as she turned her gaze upwards again. "How am I honorable? I'm a bounty hunter."

Fox smiled. "I looked into your history, you never quit, you take a job, and you finish it, no matter the cost. You honor your agreements. Even ones you don't like, say shipping out with a reformed mercenary team for instance. As for tough, well, you actually continued to spar with me in the rec room, no matter how many times I beat you."

Kursed broke in. "You can't say I care for any of you."

Fox chuckled softly. "Falco and Katt no, but they haven't done a lot to inspire you to care about them. But as for me..." Fox trailed off as he reached up and pulled on his shirt, revealing the line of stitches that could been seen through the fur of his shoulder. "I dare say, some part of you cares about me." Fox paused and swallowed. "and...I care about you, more then just a team mate, I feel like I'm betraying myself by doing so. But at the same time, it feels right, like when Krystal and I first started dating."

"You keep comparing me to her. I'm not her." Kursed blinked as the word 'anymore' flashed through her head while she hoped Fox didn't hear it.

Fox sat up and locked his gaze with hers. "I know, that's what so confusing for me right now. Krystal and I had a Bond, and yet, I feel like I have the same thing with you. But you said it was impossible."

"With another Cerinian, but you're not like me, maybe you can create another." Kursed broke their staring contest by turning her gaze to the window. "When we left Corneria, the last thing I ever wanted was to spend time with you. Everything I knew about you, I hated. Yet, you kept trying to involve me, no matter what I did." She glanced back at him. "You're stupidly stubborn sometimes, anybody tell you that?" Fox grinned, but kept quiet. "I've tried so hard to hate you, but after we started sparring, something changed inside me. I didn't hate you anymore, and I got...curious."

"Is that why you kissed me the last time we sparred?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "I wanted to know what it would feel like."

Fox nodded, "And the Medbay?" When Kursed looked at him again, Fox just shrugged. "ROB, showed me the security footage."

Kursed rolled off the bed suddenly, breaking away from his hold and standing up and walking to the small window in the wall. "In the Medbay, I...when I opened your Arwing after the fight, and I saw all the blood." she glanced over at him. "Fox, I thought you had stopped breathing, and, I just felt something...it snapped." she turned her gaze back to the window. "I feel like I'm missing something inside, something that I'll never get."

Fox stood up and walked over, standing behind her. "I could be."

Kursed sighed and leaned out into the window seal. "Could be what?"

Fox was quiet for a long time before he answered. "You said you're broken, that your missing something, what if I'm it?" he held out a hand next to her and waited.

Kursed turned around to face him. "Fox, I..." she trailed off again.

Fox interrupted her by holding up his other hand. "I feel like I'm reaching here, something that you need to be doing. You're going through a lot right now, and I understand why you wouldn't. Just know, that I'll be here, Reaching." He glanced down at his other hand, still held between them. "Whenever you're ready to reach back."

Kursed, pushed his hand down and moved forward while she leaned in, inhaling as she did so and drawing his sent into her nose. "Fox." she said softly.

"Yes?" his voice was a whisper on his breath.

Kursed brought their lips together and Fox closed his eyes as something rang right within him. He felt the same thing happening to Kursed through the Bond. Kursed backed off eventually with a paw on his chest. "Thanks." she said softly as she walked past him and opened the door where she paused. "For everything." she turned and went into the hallway, closing the door behind her and leaving Fox alone in the room.

Fox chuckled to himself softly as he brushed his own lips before he walked over to the window and leaned out like Kursed had just a moment ago. He ran his gaze over the jungles of Cerinia before he turned his gaze to the sky. He closed his eyes and inhaled, he let the breath out but kept his eyes closed as he whispered one last word to himself.

Kursed made it halfway down the hallway before she had to stop and lean against the wall. She struggled for breath for a moment as she fought through her roaring emotions. She had tried so hard to hate him, tried so hard to leave him, and yet, here she was, stepping back into his arms and wanting to ask him for help. She closed her eyes and saw him standing in the room she had just left, staring out into Cerinias jungle. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, and she could still smell his sent there. It haunted her mind, dredging up memories that she had long buried, nights the two of them spent alone, their first date, even the first time they met, and every single one scared her.

They scared her because the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted him back in her life. Waking up to him every morning and being the first thing she saw, as well as the last thing she was conscious of at night.

Kursed stumbled down the hallway, eventually ending up in another room where she started voicing her fears aloud. "I can't." she said softly. "I can't go back to him, not like this. I love him, and he loves me, I know it. But how can he love a lie?" she paused as the tears she had been holding in while they had been talking started to break free of her control. "How could anybody love me after what I've done? How could he ever forgive me, and how can I even forgive myself?" She sat down on the ground with her back to the wall, and let the tears really flow for the first time in years. "It's not fair that this hurts so much, being back here, being with Fox. I can't do it." She lowed her head onto her arms as she cried.

"_Those words always seem to lead to you running."_

Kursed blinked and looked up to the desk in the room. She blinked and looked around the room, and when her eyes found the desk again her 'father' was sitting behind the desk, watching her. He blinked as they watched each other. Kursed eventually found her voice. "What do you mean?"

Her 'father' shrugged _"You couldn't live with the fear of being trapped on Cerinia, so you ran. You couldn't live with the fear of being left behind as someone you loved risked their lives, so you ran. Now you're terrified that everything is catching up to you, and you want to run again. So far, every time you run, seems things get worse. Why would it work this time?"_

Kursed shook her head. "I'm not thinking of running."

Her 'father' stood up and walked to the window, his hands clasped behind his back. _"Really? You can tell me that you didn't once think about leaving since you found out that Fox McCloud was invovled?" _Kursed opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it slowly. _"I thought so."_

Kursed scoffed, her anger finding fuel again. "If you know so much, how about you tell me how to save Cerinia?"

Her 'father' glanced over his shoulder at her. _"I already did."_

Kursed stood up. "Fine then tell me how to fix myself!" she demanded in anger, taking a step forward and pointing at him.

Her 'father; turned to face her fully, and she took a step back as his purely white eyes found hers. _"If I could, I would, but while you may be bonded with me by blood. That doesn't mean that I can tell you what is wrong with you, or how to fix it." _he blinked and his eyes returned to normal. _"All I can offer you is advice, if you want to find whats truly broken inside, you need to look inside."_

Kursed blinked and took a step back. "Oh." she said softly, as her 'father' smiled and faded from view. Kursed closed her eyes and bowed her head.

When she opened her eyes and lifted her head, she was back where she had first sat down, and the sun had set a bit further in the sky. She sighed as she stood up and walked over to the desk, where she sat down and pulled her legs up, crossing them in front of her as she closed her eyes and relaxed her breathing. After a few minutes she reached out with her senses, not just hearing the wind outside, or feeling the desk below her, but reaching with her mind as well. She frowned as she found a block of some sort inside, something that was stopping her, something that she had done.

She sighed when she realized that it was one of the blocks that she had built over the past eight years to forget who she had been. Reluctantly at first, she dropped it, and she felt something settle inside her, she continued this, moving on to each memory, each thought about her past life that she had tried to forget, and accepting it as part of who she was again. As each memory settled inside of her, she felt her reach grow, and she felt as if someone was taking the weight off of her shoulders, a weight that she herself had put there.

When she got to her memories of Fox, she hesitated, afraid that he might sense what she was doing. She thought about what her 'father' had said, of her being scared and she frowned. She refused to be scared anymore, and she sighed before she destroyed the blocks all at once. She gasped softly as all the memories, flashed by in her mind, replaying her entire life with Fox as the thoughts settled where they were supposed to be. With each memory she saw, something inside of her eased its hold on her soul. She opened her eyes a few minutes later and blinked as she reached again with her mind. She gasped softly ten minutes later, and pushed herself off the desk, heading for the door.

She needed to find Fox.

Fox meanwhile had returned to where Falco and Katt were waiting in the throne room. As he walked in, both Katt and Falco turned to face him with a hand on their weapons, relaxing when they saw who it was.

Katt was the first to call out from where she was leaning on one of the pillars. "So, is Sunshine awake yet?"

Fox nodded as he came to a stop. "She is, and according to her, the creatures outside and spread about inside the palace are former Cerinians."

Falco scoffed from his seat on the throne. "How the hell would she know that?"

Fox paused before he continued. "Cerinia told her."

The silence that greeted him didn't really surprise him, he just crossed his arms and waited. Surprisingly, it was Katt who broke first.

"How the hell did a planet tell her anything?" she asked as she stepped away from the pillar. Falco closed his mouth as Katt voiced what was on his mind.

Fox shrugged as he walked past the throne towards the balcony that overlooked the destroyed village. "Some sort of connection she has with it, something about being the last Cerinian." Fox laughed softly. "After being married to a telepathic though, I'm ready to believe anything." Fox paused as he leaned on the railing. "There's something else..." Fox trailed off as Katt and Falco came to a stop behind him.

Falco frowned as he studied Fox's back. "Fox, buddy, somethings up, what is it?"

Fox was silent for a minute before he responded, eventually he gestured to the ash village in front of him. "This is what's bothering me. If Kursed is right, Andross is behind what happened here."

Falco was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "Andross? Our Andross?! He did this?"

Fox nodded, "What's worse is apparently Krystal helped bring it all about."

Falco held up his hands. "Okay, how do _you_ know this?"

Fox sighed "Kursed was a servant here, she followed Krystal everywhere, even off world when Andross made Cerinia vanish."

Katt spoke up. "So, if Kursed was a servant here, does that mean she was you know, nice? What happened to her to make her so...crass."

Fox glanced over his shoulder at Katt. "To use her words, Krystal found love in me, and Kursed just kept running until she couldn't anymore. She changed herself to what she is now." Fox turned back to the village. "Broken and alone."

Falco scoffed. "Hell, you say that like you feel sorry for her."

Fox was quiet for a minute. "Maybe I do."

Falco and Katt exchanged a look. "Hey, Foxy, your head still in the game here? We're talking about Kursed after all. May I remind you the first thing she did upon seeing you was curse, and the moment you tried to touch her she kicked you in the stomach?"

Fox turned around to face Falco. "She's mellowed."

Katt injected "Because you made that bet with her right before you put her face first in the mat." Katt paused. "Something I still approve of by the way. If it was up to her, she would still be treating us all like shit."

Falco nodded. "Yea man, don't tell me you're going soft on her."

Fox paused before he shrugged again. "I honestly don't know. Ever since we started this mission with her, I've just been getting more confused. I guess we'll see what happens once we're off this planet and back where we belong." Fox pushed off the railing and entered the throne room again.

"Where we belong..." Falco trailed off as he walked with Fox. "You do mean the Great Fox right?" he finished with a hopeful look.

Fox grinned at his friend. "Maybe." was all he said before he turned to Katt. "By the way, how would you feel about living on the Great Fox?"

Katt glanced at Falco before meeting Fox's eyes. "Really?"

Fox nodded. "If we do get back in the air, we're going to need a permanent third."

Katt was silent for a moment. "Only if I get to customize my Arwing." she said with a grin.

Falco groaned when Fox nodded. "Seriously Fox? A purple Arwing?"

Katt frowned at Falco. "Hey, I may choose pink instead."

Falco groaned even louder as they reached the doorway and stopped. "That's even worse."

"Hate to interrupt, but I've got something you need to know."

Fox turned to face Kursed as she came to a stop outside the doorway. "Whats up?"

Kursed stepped into the throne room, glancing around as she did. "That guy you were looking for, Bill? I found him, hes under the palace, in the dungeon somewhere."

Falco raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

Kursed just raised her own eyebrow and stared at him until he blinked and turned away. "Telepathic, right."

Kursed turned her attention to Fox as he spoke up. "How come you're just sensing him now?"

Kursed paused for a moment before she replied. "I had to deal with some stuff before I could sense him."

Katt spoke up. "What kind of stuff?"

Kursed glanced at Fox before she turned around. "Private stuff. Come on, I can feel the Cerinians now and I know where to go to avoid them. But we better hurry." With that Kursed drew her staff from its holster and headed off down the hallway.

Fox exchanged a glanced with Falco before pulling his blaster and following, Falco and Katt bringing up the rear with their own weapons suddenly drawn. Kursed led them through several hallways until she reached a spiraling stairwell that led them deep into the ground. As they descended, Kursed would sometimes pause and gesture for them to be quiet as they passed doors. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Kursed's face was drawn and she looked tired.

Falco was the first to notice "Whats wrong Kursed? Tired already?"

Kursed frowned at Falco. "No, I was focusing on hiding us from the Cerinians so they didn't come to find us for whatever reason. Hiding your mind wouldn't have been a problem, nothing going on there, but Fox and Monroe were actually thinking about something besides sex."

Falco's beak dropped opened in surprise while Katt giggled and Fox snorted softly. Kursed leaned against the wall and gestured them towards the door. "Bill should be through there, I'm just going to stay here for a minute and recover, and do what I can to keep the Cerinians out of the stairwell."

Fox nodded and looked at Falco who nodded and led Katt towards the door that lead into the dungeon. "Why does every palace have to have a dungeon?" he asked as Katt opened the door and covered him as he walked in.

Fox waited until they were both in before he turned to Kursed, who spoke before he could "McCloud, just go."

Fox paused. "You can't avoid it anymore, you said so yourself, we will finish that talk that you ran out on."

Kursed nodded. "Just...later"

Fox turned to face the door. "Right, later." He glanced over his shoulder at her with a grin. "By the way, I liked you actually calling me by my first name. You should do that more often."

Kursed smiled despite herself. "Go Fox, find your friend."

When Fox was gone, Kursed sighed and leaned up against the wall before sliding down it. It was getting harder and harder to be around him. She had thought that removing her own mental blocks would help, but instead it just reminded her of how much she had loved him, and how much she still did. She sighed softly as she recovered from the mental strain. "We need to find out what happened then leave, before I get to attached to him again." She whispered softly to herself. She had already accepted that she still loved him, but she also knew that she couldn't have him, not as Krystal, and not as Kursed. The best thing would be for her to leave when all was said and done.

Kursed stood back up and followed Fox into the gloom, whispering one last thing to herself. "But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy what time I have left with him."

* * *

_**Right-O! There you are, drama enough for you? Did it work? Did it not? You should let me know in a review, Like I said, this chapter was hard to write, and I'm sure it sucked. So, take a break right now and let me know what you think, please.**_

_**Oh, and, Holy Crap, Thank you all. For what? The 13 freaking reviews on the last chapter. A big thank you to all who review, and to show that thanks, below this authors note is one of the deleted starts to this chapter, it was the one that I almost went with before I decided to rewrite to what it is now.**_

_**So...Guest Reviews!**_

_**JackLinks: Glad you're enjoying, and I tried to go for a different spin on things, so glad you're like that as well. As for the one shots, I'll get those worked on soonish, I just want to get some more done before I start trying to type them.**_

_**Blake O'Donnell: Yep, ten points to you if you can guess what mutated them : P**_

_**fpastrello: Welcome back! To survive, they will have to use all their wits and skills of course! Either that or just avoid them like they did in this chapter ; P. Yes, it was a mean cliff hanger, but at least the next update is here quickly!**_

_**Well, I think that's everything, just remember, click that little white box at the bottom and leave your thoughts eh?**_

_**Enjoy the deleted bit!**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Deleted Chapter 9: _**Talking**

* * *

It was funny, those same words, used in a different context, and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach. Was this how she felt when he had tried to talk to her on the Great Fox only a week ago? Fox gulped hard as he nodded dumbly. "Okay." he said softly, glad his voice was still working. Then she patted the bed next to her and smiled at him and Fox forgot about his nervousness.

Fox blinked as she spoke up again. "Then come sit down."

Fox took a few slow steps over to the edge of the bed and sat down, keeping as much distance between them as possible. He leaned forward with his hands clasped in front of him before he turned his head to look at her. "So, what do we need to talk about?"

Kursed sighed and leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Honestly, I would prefer to just get out of here. But, I don't think I can avoid it anymore."

Fox focused on the floor. "Avoid what?" he asked quietly.

Kursed was silent for a while. "I'm broken."

Fox blinked and studied her face, looking for the hatred and anger that normally dominated it. But for once, her face wasn't hardened with those emotions, instead, her jaw was slack with sadness, and a tear struggled in the corner of her eye. "Kursed?" he asked softly.

She let out a huff of air. "Cerinia chose me to save them, but I'm broken and can't do it." She paused and sighed "I need to fix myself, and I have no idea how."

Fox was quiet before he responded. "I'm here." he paused. "How ever I can help. We'll figure this out."

Kursed glanced at him then and Fox drew in a breath of air as her voice echoed through his head. _"Really? After everything I've done to you?"_

Fox's breathing grew ragged for a few moments before he took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

"_Why?"_

Fox tried to answer, but, couldn't. He flinched gently when her paw reached out and touched his. "Fox."

Fox blinked and glanced at Kursed only to find her face close to his. "Yes?"

In answer Kursed moved forward and pressed her lips against his, Fox thought about resisting for a moment before he gave into his own feelings and relaxed into the kiss, then a moment later deepening the kiss even further. When they separated a minute later Kursed glanced down at the her paw, which had claimed a grip on his.

They were both silent for another minute before Kursed started speaking. "I can't explain it. When we started this mission, I hated your guts, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was work with you. Now...I'm fighting a losing battle with my own feelings, feelings that I've kept buried since our last fight in the rec room." Kursed sighed and leaned back again, Fox joining her. "I think I love you, against everything I know, and my own judgment, I think I love you." She scoffed and shook her head. "I know you still have all these feelings for her, but, shes gone. I think you need to let someone new into your life."

Fox was silent, his finger rubbing the top of her paw while he listened to her talk. "So..." he waited a beat, then two. "In the rec room?"

Kursed sighed "I originally planned it as a distraction, but part of me wondered."

Fox nodded. "The Medbay?" Kursed glanced at him in surprise. "ROB showed me the security footage."

Kursed turned her gaze back to the ceiling. "When I opened the canopy on your wrecked Arwing and saw all the blood. I panicked, your eyes were closed and it didn't look like you were breathing. I thought I had lost you before I even had you. When I realized you were still alive, I got you to the Medbay, I went to start stitching your shoulder, and," Kursed trailed off with a shake of her head. "I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't at least tried kissing you for real, conscious or not."

Fox glanced down at their entwined paws again. "So, against your wishes you fell in love with a Dropout?"

Kursed frowned and glanced away from him. "Not helping here." she said softly.

Fox reached out and cupped her muzzle in his other paw, turning her gaze to lock with his. "Sorry, if it helps this is as...hard, for me as it is for you." Fox paused and gulped before he started talking again. "When I buried Krystal, I buried part of me with her, I told myself that I would never get that part back, that I could never love anybody ever again. It wasn't long before I started spiraling down further and further, until life itself seemed pointless. I had honestly thought the only way I could ever love again was to take that last shot and hope to find Krystal on the other end. When Falco stopped me, I never hated him more in that moment, that I have before. I honestly thought he was stopping me from being happy." Fox trailed off into silence and released Kursed muzzle, although they continued to stare at each other.

"And now?" she asked softly.

Fox chuckled softly. "Now, I still wish that he had let me, I'm so confused right now. I hardly know anything about you Kursed, yet I feel attracted you, and its really messing with my head right now. I don't want to say I love you right now, because I'm still not sure if I'm attracted to you, or because you look like Krystal."

Kursed glanced down. "Oh." she said softly, pulling her paw out of his grip.

Fox shook his head. "But what I have seen, I like." he reached out and claimed her paw in his once more. "You put on this crass outside to keep people out, but I can see past it. You've done things you're not proud of, but you always honor your own goals. Its just you've let others decide what those goals are. You're tough and dedicated because you always see things through, no matter how much you don't want too. Joining up with us for this mission, even though you would have preferred to leave us behind. Add to the fact that your a capable pilot and fighter, and I think I might be able to love you."

Kursed brought her gaze back up to his. "What about protecting me?" Fox was silent so she continued. "I remember that experiment that we did, you tried to protect Krystal, and you drove her away."

Fox glanced up at the ceiling. "I can't promise to not try to protect you, that's part of being a leader, looking out for those with me. But I can promise to not smother you." Fox grinned as he paused. "Besides, I doubt I could force you to do something you don't want to."

Kursed grinned as he finished talking. "You're right about that." she said softly.

They stayed quite, just holding hands on the bed for another few minutes before Fox spoke up "Fix yourself?" he asked softly.

Kursed nodded "I'm not whole, something is wrong..."


	10. Bill and Answers

_**Woots! I be back for another chapter! Go me! Now if any of you follow my author page, I've teased some neat stuff for this chapter, kinda a rocky start and end, but I just had to get it done. But there is this bit in the middle, it just...ah...I love the feeling when it just clicks so right. I'm really happy with that bit. Just remember, I never usually go with what people expect. With all that out of the way, I present to you:**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 10: _**Bill and Answers**

* * *

As Kursed caught up to where the others were waiting for her, she saw that Falco was holding his revolver in one hand and a small flashlight in the other, while both Katt and Fox had activated the built in flash lights on their blasters. The three of them were running the beams over the dingy walls and burnt out torches. Kursed collapsed her staff and ran a finger across the middle, causing a small flickering flame of plasma to light on the tip and cast its bright light around Kursed. She slid the staff into her harness and drew her own blaster.

Fox knelt down to examine the locks on one of the cells. He brushed off a layer of rust and pulled on the bar gently only to have the entire mechanism fall apart at his feet. He looked up as he brushed his pants off of the reddish dust. "How much use did this place actually get?"

Kursed glanced around at the similarly dismal cells. "Not much, its hard for anything to serious to happen among a race of telepathics. We're pretty quick at defusing situations before they get too big."

Falco spoke up as the four of them started walking down the wide corridor. "What about when somebody blocks their thoughts like you were doing for us just now?"

Kursed was silent for a moment as they reached a cell where a set of yellowing bones stared at them accusingly. "Like I said, not much." Kursed took a moment to examine the cell, kneeling down to look over the bones. "Poor bastard, looks like he came here to avoid the fighting that Andross brought about, without success."

Fox knelt down next to Kursed. "Why do you say that?"

Kursed pointed to the ribs, where a few of the bones looked like they had been melted. "You should know what that is."

Fox nodded. "Heavy Blaster wound." Fox paused then shook his head. "Andross was never gentle when he attacked. Always went for the biggest gear he could bring to the fight." He glanced at Kursed. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Kursed shook her own head. "No, the last I saw of him was when I was following him to see what he was up to." she paused. "Or, rather, I followed Krystal, not that she knew."

Fox felt his ear twitch as he heard Falco talking to Katt. "You find it creepy that Kursed stalked Krystal everywhere when she was younger?"

Fox glanced at Kursed, who frowned as Falco finished his question. Fox turned before Kursed could and spoke up. "Should I tell Katt how many times you snuck out of the academy to follow her around town? At least Kursed had a reason."

Falco blinked as Katt raised an eyebrow at him. "Fox, man, I was just saying-"

Katt interrupted him. "And how many times did you follow me around, hmm?"

Fox turned back to the bones as Falco stuttered to put together an answer for Katt. He noticed Kursed grinning slightly out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks." she whispered as they both stood up.

Fox gave her a grin of his own. "You're welcome. Of course, I'll take any chance to pick on Falco." Fox lost his smile as they both turned back to the corridor. "So, where is Bill?"

Kursed paused for a moment, her eyes closed. "Further in, I can't tell how far, but I'll let you know when we get close."

Fox nodded. "Well then, lets go."

The four of them continued down the dark hallway, whenever they reached a junction point , they would stop and wait for Kursed to figure out which way to go to get to Bill. Eventually Falco spoke up. "So, Kursed..."

Kursed was focusing on scanning the cells they passed, so her reply was a few seconds in coming. "Yes, Lombardi?"

Falco glanced behind him towards Kursed. "Fox said that you somehow knew those things that we saw were Cerinians. Do you know what happened to them?"

It was Fox who answered. "Andross."

Falco turned his gaze from Kursed to his his friend walking next to him. "What makes you so sure?"

Fox glanced at Falco before he replied. "Come on Falco, you saw what he did to Solar during the Lylat wars, and I know I don't need to remind you of that stuff with Sheers. Who else could it be but Andross?"

Falco was silent for a moment. "I hope he died slow."

"What makes you think hes dead?" Katt asked from her spot next to Kursed.

Falco turned around walking backwards to face Katt. "You think he's still alive?"

Katt shrugged. "I've heard the stories just like everybody else. Some say he can't be killed."

Fox spoke up again. "Oh he can be killed, he just has a habit of not staying dead."

"Lombardi, stop."

Falco jerked himself to a stop as Kursed spoke up suddenly. He turned to face her. "What's up with the orders Kursed?"

Fox took a step past Falco and peered into the cell behind him, shining its light into the depths. "Falco..."

Falco turned around, adding his light to Fox's. "Oh hell. Bill."

As if his name was the start gun firing, both Falco and Fox rushed into the cell to drop down next to the bulldog laying in the middle of the cell. Kursed and Katt following them in a split second later.

Kursed put a paw on his forehead as Falco and Fox checked him over for wounds. "He's alive, just unconscious."

Fox moved Bill's flight vest and hissed gently. "Falco."

Falco took one glance and cursed softly under his breath. "That's not good. We need to get him up to the Great Fox."

Kursed glanced at what had the two other pilots so worried. Bills torso was wrapped with white gauze, but it was clear there was a large wound underneath that hadn't been properly treated. Kursed reached out and moved the loose wrappings to look at the wound. "We can't carry him through the jungle like this. We could end up killing him."

Fox glanced up at her. "We got to get him out of the dungeon at least."

Kursed nodded once. "I agree with that, we just can't risk taking him through the jungle like this."

Katt stood up and walked out of the cell. "I'll look around and see if I can find something to use as a stretcher."

Kursed stood up as well. "I'll help her, you two do what you can to stabilize Bill. We'll be back as soon as we get something together."

Kursed walked out of the cell and past Katt, heading for the exit to the dungeon. "Come on, our best bet is going to be on the upper floors."

The two females took off at a brisk walk down the hallway while Fox shrugged off his shirt to replace the bloody wrappings around Bills chest. "Hang on you old dog, don't give up on us yet. You still owe me a beer."

Falco started working on slicing up Fox's shirt into strips while Fox worked on removing the old bandages. "Hey Fox?"

"What is it Falco?"

Falco paused for a moment before he continued. "Do you like Kursed, like as much as you loved Krystal?"

Fox glanced at his friend as he finished pulling off the old bandages. "Is this really the time Falco?"

Falco shrugged as he started wrapping their makeshift ones around Bills lower chest. "Not like I've had a chance to ask you lately. You've always been around Kursed, or, you change the topic."

Fox shook his head. "For once Falco, just butt out." Falco glanced at Fox as he sat back against the wall, his eyes focused on Bill. Eventually he spoke up. "Why do you care?"

Falco had gone back to watching Bills chest slowly rise and fall. "Just curious if you want her sticking around. I know she looks a lot like Krystal, but I just don't want you getting hurt again because of her."

Fox was quiet for almost ten minutes and Falco considered the conversation over when Fox started speaking. "Thanks for looking out for me Falco, but I learned my lesson, the hard way, I know what I'm doing. Besides, I thought you would be happy for me, no more moping around the Great Fox or the garage now."

Falco leaned his head back against the wall behind him. "Yea, won't miss that. I guess I'm just wondering, if we do keep Star Fox in the air, are you going to ask her to stick around?"

Fox looked thoughtful, even though his eyes never left Bills chest. "I won't lie to you, I've thought about it. But I doubt she'll take me up on the offer."

"Why's that?"

Fox shrugged. "Call it a gut feeling."

Bill coughed once and Falco and Fox both focused on him for a few beats before continuing their conversation. "There's something else I want to ask you."

Fox glanced up at his friend for the first time since they started working on Bill. "What's that?"

"When you asked Krystal to marry you, how did you know when?"

Fox raised an eyebrow at Falco as he met his eyes. "Falco...are you...to Katt?"

Falco just shook his head. "Nah man, I'm just wondering."

Both Fox and Falco looked down as Bills voice floated up from between them. "Falco?"

Fox leaned down over Bill. "Hey, Bill, can you hear me?"

Bill's eyes slid open slowly and his stared unfocused through Fox. "Fox?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kursed and Katt had made it to the upper levels and had located a stretcher and were carrying it between them as they headed for the stairway back to the dungeon. Katt glanced at Kursed who sighed and spoke up. "That's the fifth time you've looked at me in the last three minutes. What do you want Monroe?"

Katt blinked before she started talking. "What are your plans after all this?"

Kursed glanced at Katt before she focused back on walking. "Sure as hell not joining Star Fox."

Katt nodded. "So, that's it then. You'll leave, just like that?"

Kursed nodded in return. "Just like that. No fuss, and no mess."

Katt was silent for a moment. "Right. If that's what you honestly think."

Kursed looked at Katt. "What the hell does that mean?"

Katt scoffed softly. "You must be some kind of special stupid if you think you can just cut ties and leave." She shook her head with a small chuckle. "I've seen the way you look at Fox when you think no one is watching." When Kursed looked away Katt grinned, "I've also seen him watching you, and he doesn't care who has seen him doing it. You two have something special, no sense in denying it."

Kursed brought her gaze back to Katt. "I'll deny it alright, there is nothing between me and Fox."

Katt's grin got even wider. "Oh really? Then how come you call Fox by his first name and the rest of us by our last?"

Kursed was silent while she thought of an answer, meanwhile Katt continued to grin as they walked. "Its because I respect him."

Katt still had that grin on her face as she nodded. "Right...and you took so long to answer because...?"

"Why does it matter to you anyway?!" Kursed snapped out as Katt trailed off with her question.

Katt finally lost her grin as she replied. "Because, if you just leave like you're planning, you'll end up hurting Fox. I don't want to see that happen again."

Kursed scoffed. "What you're afraid he'll try to off himself again? Big deal. Let him."

Before Kursed could react, Katt threw her weight onto the stretcher between them, Kursed lost her balance on the step and fell into the wall where Katt reversed her grip on the stretcher and used it to trap Kursed again the wall. "Lets get something straight right now. What Fox almost did is not something to joke about or dismiss. Ever. Next time your staring at him, focus on his left ear, look hard along the edge, you can see the scar tissue near his head where the bullet grazed him. If Falco had been a half a second slower the round would killed Fox." Katt paused for a breath. "Then, take a minute to look at Falco's left hand, he tried to pull Fox's head down and the bullet cut a swatch across the back of his hand as well."

Katt's eyes were hard and steely as she stared into Kursed's blue eyes, her blue eyes that looked a little odd...Katt jerked her gaze down to Kursed neck, darting her hand out and lifting up Kursed head as she protested. Katt stared at Kursed neck for a few moments before she reached out and rubbed the front of her neck, she released her grip with a small gasp and backed away, a shocked look on her face. Kursed rubbed her neck and coughed softly as the stretcher dropped to the ground between them. "What the hell was that for?!" she demanded as she took a step towards Katt, who backed away bumping into the wall and running her eyes repeatedly over Kursed.

"What?!"

Katt's eyes were no longer steely, in fact they were scared and tears were building up in the corner of her eyes, as she raised a shaky hand to cover her mouth. She slid down the wall slowly, never breaking eye contact with Kursed, who was now watching her with worry.

"Monroe?"

Katt's voice was no louder then a whisper as she spoke up. "...My...God..." she finally broke eye contact with Kursed and stared at the ground. "It makes sense now...The eyes...the voice...Fox's bond...All of it..." She raised her gaze to stare at Kursed in shock. "What did you use to cover your tattoos?"

Kursed frowned "What are you talking about?"

Katt surged to her feet suddenly and slapped Kursed, hard. Kursed stumbled down two steps before she recovered and rose up with anger. "What the hell bitch?!" she cried out as she took a step towards Katt.

Katt stood her ground, her anger once again in control. "You have no right to call me a bitch! Not after what you did to him!"

Kursed closed the distance between them, her fist clenched and ready to be thrown. "You got three seconds before I knock you down these stairs Monroe!

Katt snarled and slapped Kursed again. "Damn it Krystal!"

Kursed froze where she was, still recovering from Katts second hit.

Katt's voice was quiet with fury as she spoke again. "I'm right...aren't I." It wasn't a question.

Kursed straightened slowly, a wary look in her eyes as the two females stared at each other. The silence between them stretched into a full minute before Katt snapped. "Answer me!" she demanded in a yell that had Kursed taking a step back down the stairway.

Kursed glanced down at the ground before she raised her gaze to Katts hard eyes and nodded once.

Katt shook her head and turned around taking a few steps away from Kursed as she threw her hands into the air. "I can't believe this. All this time! You've been alive all this time! You could have said something, sent a message, anything!" Katt spun around pointing at Kursed again. "I buried a body with Fox! I cried like a baby because I thought I had lost my best friend! Fox tried to kill himself! This entire time! You've! Been! Alive!" Katt was shaking with rage. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Katt-"

Katt scoffed "Oh Katt now is it? No more Monroe? Whats the matter Krystal? Afraid to piss me off now that I know? Too late for that!" Katt paused and blinked. "I have to tell Fox." she started to head down the stairs but stopped when Kursed reached out and grabbed her arm.

Katt looked at Kursed's grip before she raised her eyes to lock them with Kursed. "Let go of me Krystal."

Kursed blinked and whispered her next words. "Please Katt...Don't."

Katt broke their staring contest to stare down the stairway. "Why the hell shouldn't I?"

Kursed sighed and let go of Katt who turned to face Kursed as she dropped down onto the steps, her head in her hands. Katt turned back to go down the stairs when Kursed spoke up again. "Because...I just...I can't do that to him."

Katt stayed where she was for a long minute while Kursed watched dejectedly from her spot on the stairs. Eventually Katt sighed and her shoulders loosened. "You're right." She turned and faced her 'friend' "This will crush Fox. I won't tell him...yet." Kursed looked up at Katt who pointed at her. "But you're not getting off Krystal. Fox has to be told, and if you're too much of a coward to do it when we're off planet. Then, I sure as hell will, and you can fucken count on that." Katt exhaled softly and closed her eyes, her head tilted towards the ground.

Kursed was silent for a moment before she spoke up. "How?"

Katt looked at her, distrust plain in her face. "How what?"

Kursed bent down and picked up the stretcher. "How did you figure it out?"

Katt started walking, leaving Kursed to carry the stretcher herself. "Your eyes. You're not the only one who dips into the darker areas of the law. I looked into getting my eyes color changed a few years ago. I remember the doctor saying that you could always see the original color if you looked hard at the pupils. When I saw the green mixing with the blue, I looked for a voice modifier on your neck. Most people confuse them for your adams apple, but once you feel it, its easy to tell its there. After that, it wasn't hard to make the leap." Katt paused for a moment. "Why?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "Why did I fake my death right?" She sighed softly before she continued talking, focusing on what little she could see of the stairway. "When I first got into Bounty Hunting I was still Krystal, and all the big bounties in the underworld were run by mob bosses and the like. People who knew my name and face, who refused to give me any details on bounties. So, I set out to change my looks, to confuse people, but it wasn't enough, and when somebody came looking for Krystal, I gave them a body that had been typed with my DNA and left it at that." Kursed paused again. "I didn't know Fox was behind it until a few years later. By then I was well into being who I am now, and...I thought I had moved on."

Katt spoke up. "So, you came here to see if you were over him?"

Kursed snorted softly. "No, Peppy forced me to work with Fox remember. I didn't want to, partly because I was afraid something like this would happen, but with Fox. Partly because some part of me still loves him, even after what he tried to do to me."

Katt turned around as they reached the landing to the dungeon. "What, try to keep you safe? To love you?"

Kursed put the stretcher down against the wall and turned to face Katt. "Look, I...I made a mistake, I have my reasons for it, but that is something for me and Fox to talk about. Just know that I realize now that I fucked up back then, and if I could go back and fix it, I would. But, the past is the past, and it can't be changed."

Katt nodded. "What about now? You were serious about leaving?"

Kursed sighed and sat down on the steps. "I'm a different person Katt, eight years is a long time to change. I love Fox, and I know hes growing to love me how I am now. But how long could it last before he figures it all out? I can't let that happen, I don't want that to happen. I should just leave before things get to serious and save us both the pain. Also..." Kursed sighed and stared at the ground. "I...I'm scared of how he'll react...if..." Katt raised an eyebrow and Kursed changed her next words. "When. When he finds out."

Katt scoffed "If he has any sense, he'll beat you into the mat a few dozen more times." She paused and sighed "But since hes Fox, he'll be shocked, and he'll say some things he doesn't mean, but he'll love you anyway." Kursed raised her head and locked eyes with Katt again. "You didn't see him after you left Krystal, he was devastated. I was on the station that the Great Fox was docked at when you left, I was there to surprise Falco, but I ended up trying to comfort Fox." Katt sighed again. "We walked in through the airlock and there was all this food in bags on the counter in the kitchen and his vest was across one of the chairs. But we couldn't find Fox, at first we just listened to Falco who said that you two were just occupied down in his quarters. But eventually I went looking for him." Katt paused and shook her head. "I heard him crying as soon as I stepped out of the elevator. I ran down the hallway and into your room. I have never, before that day, seen a man look so defeated in just every way. It looked like the only thing holding him on your bed were the sobs that racked his body. I paged Falco and went over to find out what was wrong. He just keep muttering two words. 'shes gone.' then he would point at that crap note you left." Katt stared at Kursed until she looked away. "It took us hours to get him out of that room, and for the next month he slept in there every night, and cried himself to sleep."

Kursed was silent for a long minute while Katt watched her. "I...I didn't..."

Katt frowned. "You what? You didn't think he would be so devastated? Didn't think he loved you that much? You really are stupid for not realizing that." Katt inhaled and glanced upwards once like she praying for guidance. "Look, we can argue about this for the rest of our lives, and while that's something I plan on doing, no matter what you try after this is all said and done. We need to focus on helping Bill right now. So here is how its going to work, I'll play along, and I'll keep your secret, but you are not leaving the Great Fox until you tell Fox the truth."

Kursed nodded. "I can't ask for anything more."

Katt nodded sharply in return. "Too damn right you can't, now lets get this stretcher to the guys." Katt walked past Kursed and grabbed her end of the stretcher as Kursed stood up and grabbed her end. The rest of their short journey passed in silence, with the most communication happening between the two of them being Katt looking at Kursed whenever they reached a juncture and Kursed pointing the way to go.

When they reached the cell with Bill, they found Falco and Fox trying to hold a conversation with him. They approached and set the stretcher down next to him. As the four of them worked him gently onto the stretcher Fox started talking. "I think hes delirious, he doesn't think we're real. We need to get him to the upper rooms where we left the rest of our gear. Maybe some pain killers will help him come around and we can find out what happened."

Kursed nodded and they lifted Bill up between them and headed for the exit. Fifteen minutes later found them locked away in the throne room, all of their stuff moved in and the doorway barred against any of the Cerinians that found them. The four of them had spread out sleeping bags for later that night, but as the sun started to set, the four pilots just sat around in silence, sometimes one of them heading out to stare out from the balcony or just closing their eyes for a moment. There wasn't much to say since they had come to the realization that they couldn't contact the Great Fox in orbit. So instead, they all took turns checking on Bill, who was still slightly out of it, even though they had injected him with some pain killers and basic antibiotics, while also swapping out their makeshift bandages with actual ones for a med kit.

As they were about ready to go to sleep for the night, Bill gasped and started breathing hard as he glanced around the lit room. Falco and Fox were by his side instantly, making sure he didn't move too much and disturb his wound.

"Easy man, you got a giant hole in your side." Bill looked at Falco as he spoke.

"Falco? When...Where?"

Fox chuckled softly. "Today actually, and you're still in the palace, we just moved you to a room that we could defend if need be."

Bill glanced at Fox and blinked. "Fox? What are you doing here?"

Fox shrugged. "You know, I got bored of Racing and Peppy told us you had done something stupid and got yourself shot down and we needed to come find you."

Bill nodded and looked at Falco. "Just you two?"

Falco shook his head. "Nope, we brought along Katt Monroe and a Bounty Hunter named Kursed."

Bill frowned. "Why the bounty hunter?"

Fox took over. "Because, shes a Cerinian like Krystal was, and this is Cerinia, so we figured she could be useful."

Bill blinked and stared at Fox. "Was?"

Falco hissed softly. "He got shipped out right around that time."

Fox sighed softly. "You know I was looking for her...I didn't find her in time."

Bill was quiet for a moment and Fox looked up when he saw Katt frown at Kursed suddenly, who shook her head. He turned back to Bill as he started talking again. "I'm sorry man."

Fox nodded. "Me too." he turned his gaze back to Bill. "Now that we're all caught up, want to tell us what happened?"

Bill paused before he started talking again, filling in the team on how he had been woken up in his barracks with an alert that a planet had just appeared, he told them of flying out to scan it, and the apparent betrayal of his squad mate, which led to him chasing after his last surviving pilot as he fell to the planet.

"I tracked Typhon's fighter to where he crashed just west of this destroyed town. I landed near him and worked to get him out of his fighter, I brought him here where we held up for a few days. He had been hurt and moving was hard for him at first. As he recovered I realized that I couldn't call for help, something was blocking the radio and emergency beacon. When Typhon was rested enough to walk, we went to go see about repairing my fighter, only to find that all the communications equipment had been taken. Including my beacon. Something had also been stuffed into my engines. An easy fix, but time consuming. We came back here and that's when Typhon mentioned that his radio had cleared up as he passed over the mountains behind this place." Bill paused and took a drink from a canteen. "We decided to head back out and check out his ship, see if whoever had scrapped mine, had missed his, since it had gotten stuck in the tree tops. Typhon stayed on the ground while I climbed up and found his ships emergency beacon intact. While I was up there, the ship fell out of the trees and a piece of wreckage stabbed me in the side. Typhon got me back here and bandaged it as well as he could, that was last week I think. A few days ago, we saw those gray creatures in the halls and headed down to avoid them. Typhon laid me up in a cell down there and said that he was going to take the emergency beacon up to where his radio had cleared up in the mountains to call for help. I haven't seen him since."

Kursed spoke up, stepping forward into Bill's sight. "Where in the mountains?"

Bill blinked, "Holy Hell, you look a lot like Krystal." Fox saw Katt frown again out of the corner of his eye.

Kursed just rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. Now, where in the mountains did your friend go?"

Bill frowned as he thought. "Some cliff up high near the tallest peak I think."

Kursed sighed. "Shit."

Fox looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "That was where Krystal told Andross to go."

Falco scoffed. "So?"

Fox looked at him. "So, if Andross is still active, and really is the cause of all this, that's where he'll be. If he's not, that's where one of his bioweapons will be."

Falco frowned. "Oh...shit."

Fox stood up and looked at Kursed. "What's up there that Andross would want?"

Kursed looked around the room before she jerked her head and walked over to the corner where she waited for Fox. When he got there, Kursed started speaking in a quiet voice that wouldn't carry. "Remember what I said about that thing Andross was after? The entrance is up there, there is a cave up there that leads into a massive tunnel system that leads down to a crystal of some sort. Legend says its what gives us our telepathic powers when we are born here."

Fox nodded. "But Krystal took the staff and that stopped Andross right?"

Kursed leaned up against the wall. "That's what she hoped, but for all we know, he could have found another way in. I've never been down there, but I heard that there's a giant sphere of the same type of stone from the landing pad there that keeps people out."

Fox glanced out to where Kursed's staff laid against her bag. "Unless you have that."

Kursed nodded. "Right."

Fox was silent, staring at the staff before he turned back to Kursed. "Is there another way into the caves at all?"

Kursed thought about it for a moment. "Not that I know of. Do we have to go down there? We found your friend, and we can just say Andross is behind this. We could leave and call it quits."

Fox shook his head. "No, we need to find Typhon, and if Andross is alive, or one of his Bioweapons is, I need to kill it. I can't risk leaving it here any longer then it has been already. I need to get to the bottom of all of this Kursed. Are you with me?"

Kursed was silent for a long minute, while Fox stared at her. Eventually she sighed. "I still think we should get out of here before something happens to our ships, if it hasn't already. But I'm with you. We're going to need a plan though."

Fox nodded again. "Of course, but for now, I think we should all get some sleep. Come on, lets get back to the others and tell them that we're going after Typhon as soon as we have a plan set tomorrow." Kursed and Fox walked back over to the other three.

Falco called out as they started back over. "We allowed in on the plan now? What's going on?"

Fox waited until he was closer. "Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we plan on how were going to go after Typhon."

* * *

_**Well...Did I surprise ya? : )**_

_**Honesty surprised myself, I was thinking about what I wanted to have Katt and Kursed talking about and then suddenly that was there. Now I get to weave even more Drama as Katt keep confronting Kursed about her choices and struggles not to tell the others who she really is, and then the next questions is would they even believe her? Fox and Falco did see the body after all...Oh the thoughts and plans I could go off with this...**_

_**Okay, so...I also just gotta say:**_

_**You. Readers. Are. Awesome.**_

_**Pure and simple, another thirteen reviews on the last chapter?! You have no idea how awesome that makes me feel, and how much it gets me rearing to work on this story. As what seems to be the usual with this story when I get more then Ten reviews on a chapter, I have a little bonus for ya. I didn't have anything else from the story itself to show you at the moment, but I have given you all a sneak peak on the project I work on in my off time. That being when I'm on break at work, or just away from my computer. Before you get into that though...Guest Reviews!**_

_**Blake O'Donnell: Glad you enjoyed the drama of last chapter, and I'll give you five points for trying, but...Nope : ) Close though.**_

_**Fpastrello: That...That is a really interesting idea, no, awesome idea. Honestly, if I didn't already have that plot point figured out, you might have just given it to me. Yep, shes in love again, and she doesn't want to risk getting hurt. Hence the leaving bit, but she still has to finish the mission, and she still gets to spend a little bit more time with him. Being in love has to suck some times eh?**_

_**Well, That's about it, remember to review! Less then five minutes in the little box down there helps keep this story and its ideas flowing!**_

_**I know I'm forgetting something...Oh..right..the sneak peak : 3 Its down below, taken straight out of my Doc file. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_-Star Fox: Destines- One Shot Collection by: Emile The Watcher._

_A collection of one shots with just a bunch of random ideas that I have, but never form into full stories. Quite a few are inspired by other stories on here. Also, if you feel like you have an idea that would make a good story, but don't want to do any writing yourself, you can leave a review or PM me and I'll see if I can work something out of it. So with that, I present to you:_

_-**Chapter 1**-_**Wretched Destiny-**

_'This isn't right'_

That one thought ran itself around in my head, over and over, around and around, in endless loops. Never ending, never ceasing, and never being wrong. I know that I should be happy for him, and I am, Really. Somewhere deep inside the pain that has clamped down on my heart, I'm really happy for him, if hes happy, I'm happy. Perhaps in a few years I'll be able to really show that happiness.

Right?

That's a lie, and I know it, for all my false smiles and sudden laughs, inside I'm broken, ripped into pieces and crushed beyond all belief. For the past few months, whenever I'm drifting off to sleep, one last thought makes itself know to me.

He. Is. Mine. Mine!

As music starts to drift through the room, I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the notes start to gently waft through the air. The flowing cords lift the spirit of everybody in the room. Everybody that is, except for two.

I shifted my gaze around the room, taking in the sights before me. Laid out in the large room, were lengthy wooden pews, each one packed full of citizens of Corneria City. Many of them were holding cameras and pointing them to my right. Banners of bright white hung from the ceiling, streams of pink running down them in peaceful spirals. The edges of the pews had white sleeves covering them, also with pink, but this was a gently smattering of dots. To my right stood a magnificent white gable with pink streamers wound through its slats. Inside the gable stood a very nervous looking fox in a black tux.

Fox McCloud, Hero of Lylat, and Groom at his wedding.

My gaze eventually settled on the avian standing on the other side of the gable, blue feathers slicked back, and dressed in a matching Tux.

Falco Lombardi, Star Fox pilot, best man at his friends wedding, and the only other unhappy person here.

If you looked closely at his eyes you could see the same emotions that warred for dominance inside me. I wasn't alone in thinking that this whole thing was wrong. My tail twitched twice in irritation, causing the soft blue of my gown to sway gently. I spotted Falco tapping his foot slightly and I could feel his rage from here. The doors at the back swung open suddenly and my eyes were drawn along the stripe of red carpet to the bride walking through the pews towards Fox.

* * *

_**There ya Go, the first page from my little project. I have no idea when I'll actually get it done enough to upload. I just barely typed this up from my notes right now. So, guess we'll see how it goes. Not to mention I want to get a few more ideas penned down before I start uploading.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	11. Getting Ready

_**Ugh...I'm not sure what to feel about this chapter, and on top of that I spent the majority of this day hugging my toilet as my stomach tried to force its way out of my body. I also have to go to the dentist today...awesome. Anyway, its long over due, and I feel its not as good as what I usually post with this story, but enjoy it anyway.**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 11: _**Getting Ready**

* * *

They slept in shifts.

They may have barred the door to keep out any of the mutated Cerinians that found them, but they had all seen way to may horror movies to just let it be like that. Kursed and Katt got the first shift together, with Fox and Falco set to take the next one in a few hours.

Kursed was sitting in front of one of the columns near the entrance, keeping all of her senses on alert for the Cerinians. She had set up a small lamp and spread out a old cloth in front of her. Upon which sat her old pistol, its slide was removed and most of its internal parts were laying in front of her. She was taking each piece one by one and cleaning them, something to keep her distracted from her own thoughts.

Katt was leaning out on the balcony keeping a watch on the village below to see if the Cerinians went anywhere at night. After a while of this she sighed and walked back into the throne room, heading for Kursed who was slowly reassembling her pistol. Katt stopped on the other side of the light and sat down cross legged from Kursed. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Kursed reattached the slide to her weapon and lifted it up to her eyes, studying it, she finally turned her gaze to Katt while she pulled back the slide. "Well, go ahead. Ask me."

Katt blinked as Kursed released the slide and it hit home with a dull thunk. "So why did you leave?" Kursed was quiet while she stared at Katt who eventually sighed. "Come on Krystal, you can't invite me to ask then-"

Kursed cut her off. "Katt, if this is going to work, you need to call me by my name while we're near Fox."

Katt rolled her eyes. "I did, but I know what you mean." she reached down and picked at a crack in the stone they were sitting on. "You didn't answer my question by the way."

Kursed sighed and was quiet for a few moments more. "In part, I guess it started here."

Katt tilted her head then hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "You mean here, Cerinia? Why?"

Kursed nodded "Its a bit of a long story..." Kursed paused for a moment and when Katt didn't protest, inhaled slowly before she began. "I was born the only daughter to my parents, and when I was younger, I was allowed to do what I want. I grew adventurous and started exploring and fighting, things that a princess was not supposed to do. I had been training with the rest of our army to fight when I was prevented from advancing to higher classes. When I confronted my father about it, he told me how I need to start acting the part of a ruler."

Kursed shook her head. "Suddenly, my day was filled with learning how to be royalty. I didn't mind any of it, its just that, once I started it, everybody treated me different. I was no longer the adventurous daughter of the king and the queen, I was the princess and people needed to treat me with respect and all that." Kursed paused and reached for her empty clip and started loading the thick bullets into the chamber. "Fast forward a few years and Andross crash landed on Cerinia, by now, I was sick and tired of always being protected, always being stuffed to the side, never allowed to do what I want. So of course I was sneaking out, and it was one of these times that I rescued Andross, I brought him back to the palace and the doctors here healed him of his wounds. We started talking and I told him of my desires to be free of the rules, to go where I wanted."

Both Katt and Kursed looked over to where the men were sleeping when Fox moaned softly and rolled over in his sleeping bag. Kursed started at him for a few moments and reached out with her mind to make sure he was still asleep before she continued. "Andross offered to take me off word with him, and in exchange I just had to provide him with some information. At the time, I saw no harm, so, I answered all his questions, and set about my peoples down fall. He was with us for a couple months maybe before his men attacked. We noticed some of the outer villages falling silent, and our messengers never returned. We prepared for a battle that we were going to lose from the get go."

Kursed closed her eyes as she continued her tale.

_Krystal ran up behind her father as the horns continued to be sounded from the gates. Her parents were standing on the balcony, staring out over the village as the column of lights approached the front gates. Krystal watched from her hiding spot just inside the throne room. She chewed on her lip as she tried to focus on keeping her father from sensing her while trying to feel for what was coming._

"_What is it?" she heard her mother ask._

_Her father shook his head slowly, and Krystal realized that he was already dressed in his armor, the only thing he was missing was his staff, still locked away inside the armory. "If I had to guess, I would say we're looking at the cause for the missing messengers and the rest of the villages going quiet." He growled softly as one of the horns above the gate vanished in a grand explosion, ripping apart the top section of the wall that it had previous sat upon. The burning debris rained down onto the village, collapsing a few huts when it hit, and lighting a few more on fire._

_Krystal turned around as she became aware of somebody approaching the throne room. She moved to the side and hid behind a column just as the doors flew open, smashing into the walls behind them and straining their brackets. The noise caused her parents to come rushing out._

_They stopped next to the throne as Andross walking into the room,he was no longer limping, he strolled along at full height, his presence just as imposing as the two slightly smaller apes that walked just behind him. The smile that had graced his face for the past months was gone, replaced by a disapproving frown and slanted eyes. He had acquired a change of clothes from somewhere and walked towards her parents dressed in a black uniform with stripes of white running along the sleeves, a series of metal badges bounced gently against his chest as he walked to spitting distance of her parents._

_Her father gestured for her mother to hide behind the throne before he faced Andross and spoke up. "Dr Bowman, considering how your dressed I can assume your the one to blame for what is happening outside my walls?"_

_Andross smiled, and there was no kindness in it. "I'm glad to see you're not a stupid as you first seemed." his frown emerged again as he continued talking. "You would be correct of course, just a little demonstration if you will. Showing you just where you stand against me."_

_Her father snarled and took a step forward. "I stand miles above you! Get out of here Bowman, you disgusting, disgraceful liar, and take your men with you."_

_Andross chuckled softly. "Oh of course, allow me to leave right now." he turned around and made to take a step back towards the door only to spin around and reach out a large palm to back hand Krystals dad across his face. Andross sheer strength throwing the vulpine into the throne her mother hid behind. "I'll leave when I have what I need, and not a moment sooner. You will also refer to me by my proper title. _Dr. _Andross."_

_Her father stood up and wiped a small trail of blood off his muzzle. "You can threaten all you want _Dr. _Andross. But I will never give you what you want."_

_Andross just laughed and Krystal felt her heart sink, she knew what was coming. "Who said I was going to get it from you." Her father frowned. Andross was smiling again, and there was something, wrong, with it. "I have gotten quite friendly with your daughter in the time I have been stuck here. There is so much you don't know about her."_

_Krystal mother stepped around and pointed a finger at Andross. "Don't you dare touch my daughter!"_

_Andross just laughed again, clearly enjoying having the upper hand in the conversation. "Who said I was going to harm her? I have merely offered her what she wants most in exchange for some information."_

_Krystal saw the doubt pass over her fathers face for the first time. "What are you talking about?"_

_Andross gestured around him. "Such a magnificent kingdom, and yet you know nothing about your own daughter. Its quite sad, and predictable really. Krystal hates this life that your breeding her for, all she longs for is adventure and to escape this planet. So, I gave it to her, and in exchange my men landed a shuttle for her to take." Andross paused and glanced at the ceiling. "If she ends up making it there. Well, that's a different story."_

_Her father narrowed his eyes and reached into his combat armor, pulling out a long knife and making for Andross. He hadn't even taken two steps before one of the bodyguards blasted the blade clear off its hilt, leaving her father holding a slightly melted stub. He dropped the weapon and backed up. "You said you weren't going to harm her."_

_Andross put a palm over his chest. "I'm not. My men are."_

_Her father sighed. "Let me guess, this is where you offer to spare her if I help you?"_

_Andross just laughed again. "No. This is the part where I leave to take what I want." Andross reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "While we've been talking, my men have been busy at your front gate." He flipped open the top and pressed the switch that was underneath. Krystals parents turned around as the sounds of an explosion reached them. They ran to the balcony to see what had happened. Krystal was watching Andross as he turned and made his way towards the exit. Krystal waited for him to leave and checked to make sure he parents were still on the balcony before she ran out the door as well. She knew what Andross would need, and she would make sure that he wouldn't get it. _

_Knowing what she had to do, she stopped at the hallway entrance and turned back towards the throne room. She opened herself up mentally and sent out two words to her parents. "_I'm sorry." _Then she turned and ran, knowing that she would most likely never see her parents again._

_She headed for the armory first. She had never told Andross where the armory was, so she had the advantage of knowing where she was going. When she reached the armory, it was strangely empty and Krystal figured that the rest of the guards were still trying to figure out what was happening. she ran to the center of the room where her fathers staff sat on a stone pillar. A blue light seemed to surround the staff and Krystal stopped and stared at it for a moment. She gulped softly and reached out a hand to grab the staff, pulling it free of its stand on the column and holding the collapsed staff in her palm._

_She turned and paused to grab a coil of rope before she left the room. Her next goal already in mind. She knew where Andross had told her to go, and he had given her specific directions to follow. But after hearing what he said, she decided a different route would be needed. Ten minutes later found her out of breath and tying the rope to the balcony that stretched out over the wall. She threw herself over and quickly slid to the ground._

_Leaving the rope where it was, Krystal made off into the jungle, the staff still clutched tightly in her hands._

_She wasn't sure how long she had been traveling when it had happened. A bolt of pain shot through her chest and head and she stumbled to a stop, gasping for breath while she clutched at her chest with her free hand. She stumbled forward a few steps, tears building in her eyes as she forced herself to continue. However not even a full minute had passed before she gasped out softly and fell to her hands and knees as the pain shot through her being again. This time she let the tears fall and her vision blur. She knew what had happened, her parents were dead, and it was her fault._

_She forced herself to her feet and continued her journey, the only thought in her head being that she needed to get away. She made it to the shuttle eventually, approaching from the back rather then the front. She stopped and crouched low, she could see several of the men that Andross talked about all standing around in front of the shuttle waiting for her to come down the path they were facing._

_She made her way slowly to the shuttle, sneaking in through the open hatch and closing it quietly. She quickly entered the cockpit and sat down in the seat. She glanced at the console and was glad that Andross had taught her how to fly the shuttle, at least, he had told her. Whether she would actually be able to get it off the ground before the guards outside noticed..._

_She began the start up sequence, glancing through the cockpit window as the guards all turned around and started shouting. Krystal engaged the shields on the shuttle as the guards outside started firing at the craft. Krystal waited for a moment before she pulled gently on the stick and lifted the craft off the ground. After a close brush with a few of the treetops, she managed to get the craft upward into the sky. She let the computer do most of the calculations as she guided the craft through the atmosphere to come up on the other side of the planet, and away from a large ship in orbit._

"So, you made it off the planet, what happened after that?"

Kursed raised a finger to quiet Katt as she turned her gaze to where Fox was stirring. He sat up slowly and yawned, stretching his hands to the sky. Fox dropped his hands to his sides and slid out of his sleeping bag. "Don't stop on my account, I'm curious as well." He walked over and sat down in between Katt and Kursed.

Kursed turned her gaze to Katt and shook her head once when Fox glanced over at Falco. "I watched as the craft broke orbit. We weren't very far from it when it started." Kursed closed her eyes. "I can still see it, it started with the clouds all seeming to vanish in a matter of moments, then blue lines of charged energy seemed to jump erratically across the surface. They bounced around for a moment before they turned red and seemed to fade into the surface of the world, leaving behind glowing lines, and then..." Kursed paused and sighed. "It was just gone. No flash, no debris, just...gone."

The two other pilots stared at Kursed in silence as she inhaled slowly once again. She released the breath and opened her eyes, glancing around the room. "But, its here now, and everything its where its supposed to be. Aside from the Cerinians themselves."

Kursed fell silent and Fox rubbed the back of his head. "Who knows, when we go after what ever is in those caves, maybe we'll find out what happened, give you some sort of closure maybe."

Kursed locked eyes with Fox as Falco started to wake up. "Closure Fox? I could really care less about what happened here. I have a new life now, I'm a new person. I just want to get to the bottom of this so that we can leave and I can take off with my clean slate."

Fox glanced at Katt as Kursed finished her little speech, he turned his gaze back to Kursed. "Speaking of Kursed, I've been meaning to ask you something." Kursed raised an eyebrow at Fox but said nothing, so he continued. "Look, I know you didn't want to be here with us at the start, but you're a pretty good pilot, and with Falco and I starting up Star Fox again, we could use somebody like you on the team. We already have Katt coming on as our new third. Having you as our forth would really help the team come around."

Kursed blinked and stood up. "No." she said softly as she walked past Fox towards her own bag, pulling out her sleeping bag and shaking it out.

She quickly spread it out and was sliding into it when Fox spoke up again. "Just...think about it, okay?"

Kursed was silent for so long that Fox thought she was ignoring him again, but when her muffled "Okay" reached his ears he couldn't help but smile slightly at Katt who shook her head as Falco came up behind her. He sat down across from Fox and glanced at Katt, making a waving motion with his hands. "Go on, shoo, Fox and I got this now, and you need your beauty sleep."

Katt tossed a hand through some of her loose hair. "Are you saying I'm ugly?"

Falco opened his mouth but no sound came out. Fox shook his head and spoke up. "Just close your mouth Falco, there is no safe way out of that one."

Falco closed his mouth slowly and Katt chuckled as she stood up and moved to her own bag, getting her own sleeping bag ready for the night. Kursed rolled over in her own bag and fell asleep to the sound of Fox and Falco talking plans.

When she next opened her eyes, she blinked and lifted herself off the ground with her elbow, glancing around the room as she did so. After quick scan of the room, she shot to her feet as she double checked to make sure she was seeing correctly.

There was nobody there, no sign that they had ever been there. She took a step away from her sleeping bag, and reached down and picked up her staff, calling out softly as she did so. "Fox?"

She spun around, expanding her staff and getting ready to fight, when a voice spoke up from the direction of the balcony. _"Do not worry, he is safe."_

Kursed sighed and collapsed her staff, she dropped it back onto her pack and walked towards the balcony. She leaned up against the doorway that led out to the open air and spoke up. "What do you want now?"

Her 'Father' turned around and smiled at her. _"You don't sound happy to see me, I would have thought after all the help I've given you you would be excited to be here."_

Kursed scoffed. "Yeah, trapped in my own mind talking to a planets...spirit, or whatever the hell you are it right up there with everything else the excites me."

Her 'Father' shook his head slowly. _"I know its not combat or sex, but I brought you here for a reason."_

Kursed rolled her eyes at the dig at her choice in lifestyles. "Well then, thrill me."

"_I know that you are planning on leading these outsiders to the crystal deep beneath the surface. Before you do that though, I must warn you, there is something down in the crystal chamber. I am not sure what it is, or if its even alive still. But ever since you left, it has remained there."_

Kursed was silent for a moment. "I was already expecting that, Andross never gave up on anything easily. I fully expect to run into one of his bioweapons down there. How about you tell me something I don't know?"

Her 'Father' was silent for a moment before he smiled. _"Very well, how about the secret passage to the crystal chamber?"_

Kursed pushed off the wall, walking out onto the balcony to stand next to the spirit. "What secret passage?"

Her 'Father' turned back out to the view. _"The one in the armory of course. I won't tell you how to open it, but there is one there."_

Kursed turned around and scoffed. "You say you want me to fix Cerinia, then you don't even really help me."

Kursed glanced up and took a step back when she saw the spirit standing just in front of her. _"Not true, I have helped you, and I'm still helping you, I'm not going to tell you how to open it, because any royal member of Cerinia can open it." _he held up his hand and Kursed sawthe armory appear around them. He glanced at the stand where the staff once sat. _"I know you'll figure it out."_

With those last six words, the world around Kursed faded to black and she sat up in her sleeping bag. She glanced around the sunlit room and leaned back slightly when she saw Fox sitting next to her bag with a worried expression. "Something wrong?" she asked as she slid out of her sleeping bag.

Fox shook his head as he stood up. "Apparently not. We tried to wake you up a few hours ago, but you never did, and you didn't react to anything." Fox rubbed the back of his head. "I was starting to get a little worried actually."

Kursed glanced around the room. "Where are the others?" she asked as she rolled up her sleeping bag and attached it to her bag.

Fox went over to his own pack. "They went to go check on the ships with Bill, if Katts ship hasn't been sabotaged in anyway Katt and Falco are going to fly Bill up to the Great Fox to drop him off in the med bay and check in with General Peppy. After that, they'll fly back down and meet us at the landing zone and from there we'll follow you to the best path to get to the top of the mountain where Typhon went." Fox finished checking over his pack and slung it over his shoulders

Kursed grabbed her own pack and stood up. "How did they get past the Cerinians?"

Fox gestured to the open door before walking towards it and talking. "This morning when Katt woke up, we took a peek over the balcony and realized that none of the Cerinians were in the village, so we poked around in the hallways and they were gone from there too." He glanced over his shoulder at her as they walked down the hallway. "Weird huh?"

Kursed nodded, her mind for some reason flashing back to the night she left Cerinia and the strange energy that had covered it. "Yea...weird." she was silent for a moment as they walked through the hallway, when they reached the stairway and started down it she spoke up. "Sorry."

Fox didn't turn around as he spoke up, keeping his attention on the stairway. "Sorry for what?"

Kursed chewed her lip for a moment. "Sorry for worrying you."

Fox was silent until they reached the bottom of the stairs, then he turned around. "Its not a big deal, thanks though." Fox paused for a moment. "Last time you were like that, you woke up with the knowledge about the Cerinians. You learn anything this time?"

Kursed nodded her head as she led the way outside. Slowing down to crouch under the braced open portcullises that Fox and Falco had dropped earlier. "I did, but its nothing that can't wait until we meet up with Monroe and Lombardi." She glanced to her side as Fox caught up to her and matched her stride.

The two of them remained silent for the rest of the hike out to where they had left the ships. When they reached the clearing they found Katt and Falcos ships were both gone. Fox walked over to where Kursed had left her ship and sat down in the shade next to one of the landing struts. Kursed walked over and input her code to lower the ladder. After Bills story, she wanted to make sure all of her stuff was there. She stepped up just enough to glance around her armory, satisfied that nothing was gone, she dropped back down to the ground and retracted the ladder.

As it clicked into place Fox spoke up. "So have you made up your mind on if you're going to join us when this is all said and done?"

Kursed walked over to where Fox was sitting and sat down next to him, leaning on the strut and touching shoulders with him. She sighed as she got her weight off her legs and spoke. "I don't suppose you'll accept a simple 'No' will you?"

Fox chuckled softly next to her. "What do you think?"

Kursed shook her head, not even bother to sense the answer from him. "I didn't think so."

They were silent for a few moments before Fox spoke up again. "You said before that you ran to escape the pain, ran until you broke. Maybe you need to stop running, because no matter how far or how hard you run, the past will catch up to you." Kursed couldn't help mumbling "You have no idea." under her breath as Fox continued talking. "Who knows, maybe if you settle down somewhere, even if its only for a little while, you might just feel better. Perhaps a nice mercenary squad somewhere."

Kursed couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her as Fox finished talking. She remained silent though as she thought about what he said.

"Kursed?"

"Hmm?" she turned her head to face him and blinked when she found his face only a few inches away from hers.

"I also stand by what I told you before. I'll help you in anyway I can, if I can help fix what ever is broken, I'll try my hardest for you." Kursed tried to turn her head away but Fox gently raised a hand and stopped her, forcing her to lock gazes again. "After all of this, I want you to stay with Star Fox, to stay with me. I feel as if I know you, more then you've let on, and I feel like I'm the the only person who can help fix what ever you feel is wrong with you. All you need to do is let me in, and I know you'll feel the same way."

Kursed gulped heavily. "Fox...I..."

Fox moved one of his fingers over Kursed mouth. "Don't bother denying anything, we're already past that. Just remember, I'm here reaching, and I'm ready whenever you are." he grinned at her. "Just so you know that I'm serious about this..." he trailed off and leaned in, bringing their lips together and Kursed moaned softly as she closed her eyes and let her soul sink into the warmth that Fox was emanating at that moment, both physically and mentally.

That moment seemed to last forever and Kursed last track of time. At least until her focus was broken by the sound of an aircraft flying by overhead. She pulled quickly away from Fox, her cheeks heating up as she looked away from him.

Fox chuckled softly. "A little pay back for leaving me in the room like you did last time." his smile turned serious. "But I meant it Kursed, think about it."

Kursed stood up slowly as Katt and Falco brought their crafts into land. "Okay." she said softly. Her tone of voice letting Fox know that she meant it.

Fox gave her a quick smile before he turned and walked out from under her ship and waving at Falco as he hopped out of his Arwing. "How did it go?"

Falco brushed some loose dust off his clothes as he answered. "Bill's all hooked up in the med-bay with ROB watching over him. We sent off a report to Peppy and checked over our ships before we came back down."

Fox glanced at the Arwing next to them. "Nothing wrong?"

Katt called out as she walked across the small clearing. "With his. Somebody had tried to sabotage mine. They failed, but they tried."

Fox glanced at her as she came to stop next to them. "What do you mean?"

Katt shrugged. "They tried the same thing with my fighter that they did with Bills." Katt smiled. "But my fighter is anything but military ordinary. When the craft is shut down, all of the exposed parts for the for the engines are covered by recessed panels. So whatever was pushed into my engine got everywhere but didn't gum up anything, it just burned away when I started up my ship." Katt glanced over where Kursed was leaning up again another strut underneath her ship. "What about you Kursed? Anything wrong with your craft?"

Kursed shook her head and walked over. "Nothing inside is out of place, as for the engines themselves, it would take a lot to knock those bad boys out."

Katt raised an eyebrow and glanced at Falco. "If she sticks around I call dibs on fixing her ship." she glanced at Kursed. "Now I want to know what type of engines you have."

Kursed shook her head as she reached them. "Priorities Monroe, besides, shouldn't we be worrying about that other guy? Making a plan or something?"

Fox nodded. "We already have a plan." he glanced at Falco. "Did you do a fly over?"

Falco crossed his arms. "Of course, I didn't see anybody on that little overlook. But I saw the cave entrance that you talked about, only thing, you could fit maybe one ship, maybe two on that lip, and even that would be pushing it. There is no way all three of our ships are going up there."

Fox nodded and opened his mouth but Kursed cut him off. "Good thing only you and Katt are going that way then."

Falco raised an eyebrow at Kursed. "Why, are you and Fox going off to get married or something?"

Kursed rolled her eyes and Fox covered his face with his hand. "No you..." she trailed off and glanced at Katt. "There's another way into that tunnel, but I'm not sure how big it is, or how long its going to take to go through it. So while you and Katt are going through that way, Fox and I will be going through the secondary tunnel in the palace. I'm hoping that we'll all get there around the same time. But I've never been down there so I have no idea how long the trek is."

Falco turned to look at Fox who just gave a shrug. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Falco turned to Katt who nodded, he paused a moment before he turned back to Kursed. "So how come you're just bringing this up?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "I just remembered it this morning. Its been a long time since I've been here Lombardi, some of the smaller things faded over time."

Fox held out a hand to stop Falco from responding. "Okay, we've got a plan, and lets assume time is of the essance. I don't see anything wrong with the plan, do you Katt?" she shook her head. "Falco?" The avian sighed but shook his head. Fox nodded. "Right, lets head out then, Kursed and I will check over our gear then head out for the village. You and Katt head for the cave, I doubt radios are going to work through all the rock, even if the jamming clears up in that area. So lets say that if we haven't met up in a day, to meet back at the palace." The other three nodded and and moved toward their ships. Fox went to follow Kursed then turned around and called out to Falco. "Make sure you take something to mark your path with, you might run across different branches."

Falco nodded and hopped up into his Awing, closing the canopy and starting his engines. Katt doing the same in her own ship, Fox followed Kursed up the ladder and stood behind her seat as she started up her ship. "I'm not sure about landing in the middle of the village. It may be destroyed and all, but still..."

Fox put a hand on her shoulder as she lifted the ship off the ground. "Sorry, time is of the essence right now."

Kursed nodded and spun her ship around and heading for the village and the palace while Katt and Falco gained height and headed for the mountains behind the palace. What had taken them five hours to hike through before, took just a matter of minutes to cover in Kurseds ship. When they approached the village Kursed brought the ship down in the clearing in front of the palace. Fox had just put on foot on the ladder when Kursed spoke up.

"Hey." Fox looked up to see Kursed holding out a belt towards him, handing off the belt tucked into a holster was a small pistol. "Just in case." Fox reached out and took the belt, letting it dangle from his hand. "Its a holster, for you back, keep it hidden." Fox nodded and dropped down the ladder. By the time Kursed had checked her gear and went down the ladder herself, Fox already had the weapon holster attached and hidden underneath his shirt.

Kursed gave him a nod as she led the way up the stairs, when they reached the landing Kursed paused to look around. After a moment, she closed her eyes and reached out with her other senses.

"Do you sense anybody?" Fox asked as he came up next to her.

Kursed shook her head slowly. "No, and I'm starting to get worried." She glanced at Fox as she opened her eyes. "Where did all the Cerinians go? It strikes me as pretty odd that they all just, vanished, during the night."

Fox nodded as he made his way towards the entrance. "Me too, I have a nasty feeling we're going to find them when we least expect it." He gestured toward the entrance. "Lead the way? I assume you know where the armory is?"

Kursed nodded as she walked past him and started heading for the armory. "Of course. Lets go."

Twenty minutes of quick walking later and the two vulpines entered the armory. Kursed slowed down as she walked in, Fox brushing by her to look around the room for this tunnel that would hopefully lead them down to where Falco and Katt were heading. He glanced over at Kursed and frowned when he saw her kneeling at a spot next to a stone stand. She had dropped to one knee, eyes closed and was holding a hand over her heart and one over her head, she was mumbling something under her breath and Fox felt like he was intruding on a private moment. He stayed that way until Kursed finished what she was saying and stood up, making a small symbol with her hands as she did so.

As she glanced at him Fox couldn't help himself. "What was that about?"

Kurseds voice was tight as she answered. "Praying for a fallen warrior." she walked up next to the stand and laid a hand on it.

Fox nodded. "Somebody you knew?"

Kursed glanced at the spot she had just left. "You could say that." she turned her gaze back to the stone stand and reached for her staff, keeping it collapsed and placing it inside its groove in the stand. She kept one hand on the staff and glanced around. "Its here somewhere." she said softly changing the subject.

Fox glanced around the room. "Yeah, but I don't see any locked doors or anything." he turned back to Kursed to find her with her eyes once again closed, her hand still on the staff. After a moment Kursed extended the staff and lifted it up, the tip covering in frost as she activated the cryo blast. She quickly ran the spray over the stone and the surrounding ground around it. Fox was about to ask what she was doing when she raised the staff above her head and the tip glowed red. Fox felt his eyes widen as he leaned up against the wall and braced himself.

Kursed slammed the staff down on the frozen ground and unleashed the super quake onto the fragile earth. Fox closed his eyes as he felt the rumble shake up his legs, accompanied by the sound of frozen stone shattering as it impacted on the ground after it a drop. He opened his eyes when the shaking was done to see Kursed grinning at him as she stood on the other side of a hole.

"You done panicking?" she asked with a small chuckle.

Fox shook his head as he stepped towards the hole, activating the flash light on his blaster as he aimed it down the hole. He glanced up at Kursed. "How did you know?"

Kursed collapsed her staff and pulled out her pistol. "Would you believe me if I told you a ghost gave me the clue?"

Fox glanced back down the hole. "You know, I just might."

Kursed took a step forward. "Good, lets leave it at that." With that she dropped down into the hole. Fox pausing for a moment before he dropped down after her. He dropped several feet before he landed on some hard stone. He crouched as he landed and took a few steps forward, tripping over some of the broken stone. He glanced up just in time for Kursed to light the tip of her staff like she did when they were exploring the dungeon. She glanced over her shoulder at him as the light revealed a tunnel in front of them. "Ready?" she asked softly

Fox adjusted his grip on his blaster and nodded, leading the way into the tunnel.

* * *

_**Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed.**_

_**Before I get into the guests reviews, a couple notes for you all.**_

_**So, first off, I realized that I have six active stories going on right now, and with the way my life is, that's just way too much. So, I'm going to drop a few stories, now before you fret, Dead Plant isn't one of them, neither is Destinies if you read that. I will leave two other stories active, and I'm leaving that choice up to you the reader, so go head over to my profile page and check out the poll, drop a vote, and let me know.**_

_**Second off, fifteen. That's how many reviews I got on the last update. So much awesome feeling, since the first thirteen were all in the first twenty-four hours of posting. You guys rock, thanks for the feed back, and as usual, there's a little something after the guest reviews for you. This is different then what I usually leave because of a few things. **_

_**Dead Planet just passed 5k views, so thank you, it is also my first and only story to have a 100 review mark. So, a deep thank you to all of you for following me on this little adventure so far, and I hope I can keep you coming back in the future chapters!**_

_**Third off, K.S. Reynard, I've been reading his stories lately, hes a damn awesome writer, much better then me, and I suggest you go check him out. I'm currently addicted to all three of his active stories. If your loving the drama between Kursed and Fox from this story, your are most definitely going to want to read his story 6 days and 23 hours, so far, just damn amazing.  
**_

_**Guest Reviews:**_

_**Blake O'Donnell: Glad you enjoyed friend. As for Katt and telling Fox, well, I have plans for that, don't you worry. : P By the way, you should write that story, as for the ReArmed Conflict, hopefully soon.**_

_**Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying and consider this one of your favorites! I only have one favor to ask of you, if you keep reviewing, come up with a name so that I don't have to worry about multiple 'guest' reviews to respond too : P**_

_**So, that should be it, I'm off, hopefully to get a good nights rest. Enjoyed your little bonus. **_

_**Not going to tell you anything about it, because I have no idea what I'm going to do with this. So I'll leave you with one word. 'Become'**_

* * *

Slippy shook his head. "It doesn't need to be big to cause destruction Falco, you should know that." He stopped in front of a computer and began typing on the keyboard. "Anyway, we're ready to begin the test, everybody good?"

Fox nodded, keeping his eyes on the small sphere in the middle of the room. He watched from the corner of his eye as Slippy paused in his typing and glanced at Amanda who was at a console next to him. When she nodded, Slippy pressed the enter key.

Even though he was keeping a sharp watch on the sphere, he still missed when it happened.

One moment the bomb was there, the next, it was gone, and the very air itself seemed to be pulled into a single point.

He didn't miss what happened after that though. It started with the column the sphere had been resting on, it seemed to crumple in on itself and vanish into a single point, then the claw joined it.

"Everything is going as planned. I think we got it."

No sooner had Slippy said the words then Fox reared back from the glass as a large crack made itself known with a loud sound. Fox felt his eyes grow wide as pieces of the glass started to be pulled off the thick panes and towards the light bending singularity. "Slippy?!" he called out as more shards were pulled towards the black hole.

"I can contain this, I planned for this." Slippy called out as he slammed his hand down on a large red button. The metal doors that had sat in the ground deployed, locking into place on the ceiling. The shards that had been traveling towards the singularity dropped to the ground with heavy thuds.

Slippy sighed. "Well, it was a bit stronger then I expected, but it should be dieing out shortly."

As soon as the words left his lips, there was a hollow sounding boom and several of the metal doors bent inwards. Fox didn't waste any time. "Go! Move! Get out of the lab, Second Floor!"

Slippy tried to protest. "But those door-"

Fox put a paw on Slippys shoulder. "Retreat Slippy. Now!" He gestured at Amanda, "You too, Go!"

Fox stayed behind while Slippy raced for the doors, slapping his palm flat on the glass and opening the stairway entrance. Fox was moving backwards as the rest of the group filed through. He just turned around to follow the group through the doors when the metal was pulled free and into the black hole, immediately followed by the rest of the glass.

Time slowed for Fox as he took a step towards the stairway and the rest of his team. Adrenaline was flooding his system, he had heard the glass give way, he knew what was going to happen in the next few moments, but he was determined to try. He felt it in the loose fabric of his shirt first, it was pulled tight against his chest, all of its slack suddenly gone as the shirt struggled against him. He had one foot in the air and he felt it bending back as the other foot started sliding along the ground as he felt the rest of the pressure pull at his body.

He locked eyes with Krystal who had grabbed her staff and extended it towards him. He blinked and suddenly she was much smaller and the pressure multiplied, pounding his being with pain. He blinked once more and Krystal had shrunk to a tiny pin point and darkness had set in, he heard one last thing as the pressure increased again and his mind subsumed to the pain his body was experiencing as every bit of his being was crushed by gravity.

It was the sound of Krystal crying his name out, her voice already thick with tears. "Fox!"

* * *

_**Peace!**_

_**- Emile**_


	12. Into the Depths

_**Whoo...This is another of those Meh and yay chapters for me, some of it feels a little off, but other parts, just kinda felt right. So, I'll let you get right into it so you can tell me how I did. Enjoy. : }**_

_**Edit: 08-06-13 Below.**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 12: _**Into the Depths**

* * *

Falco double checked his hull cameras and glanced outside his cockpit as he very slowly lowered his Arwing to the ground next to Katt's ship. When he was sure that he wasn't going to hit her ship in anyway, and that there was enough room for him to hop out he shut down the ship and popped the canopy, he reached down and grabbed his belt and holster for his revolver and put a hand on the side of his cockpit and vaulted out, landing lightly on the ground besides his ship. He spent a few seconds swinging his holster around his hips and buckling it together.

He crouched underneath the Arwing and opened its storage compartment and grabbed one bag of his explosives, attaching that to the belt on his other thigh. Remembering what Fox said he also grabbed a set of small thermal flares that would burn for a full day to mark their path as they descended into the earth. He tucked the pouch into his back pocket and closed the hatch on his Arwing, walking around the ship to meet up with Katt who was leaning up against the rock wall next to the cave.

"Done accessorizing?" she asked with a grin as Falco approached.

Falco shook his head as he rested a hand on his holster. "Funny." he said shortly as he glanced towards the entrance. "I see I'm not the only one who decided to ditch the heavy bags while we're going through there."

Katt shrugged, her own belt had two holsters on it, one for each of her small customized illegal pistols. A pouch behind each holster held extra clips for her weapons, and she had a combat knife strapped on her boot. "Seem like a bad idea to take a bag down there, we plan on coming out soon anyway. Until then I'll just have to suffer off ration bars."

Falco started to walk towards the entrance. "Mmm...Ration bars, I hope they have my favorite flavors, cardboard, chalk, or pavement."

Katt shook her head as she pushed off the wall to follow Falco.

"Hey Katt?"

"Hmm?" Katt answered as she glanced up into the sky.

Falco had stopped where he was and his back was to Katt. "I was just wondering..."

Before he could continue though Katt called out. "What the fuck?!" she called out as she stumbled backwards and tripped over a rock, and landing roughly on her rear end as she gazed into the sky.

Falco spun around and took a few quick steps to reach Katt, leaning down to see if she was okay. "What's wrong?" he asked as he laid a hand on her shoulder. In response, Katt just raised her arm and pointed into the sky.

Falco frowned but raised his gaze, he blinked and after a moment spoke. "I think that deserves a what the fuck."

In the sky, just above the peak of the mountain, a film of what looked like blue plasma was slowly stretching out in a line. It seemed to spark and glow with some sort of energy as it wormed its way through the air above the two pilots.

"Look." Falco turned his head when Katt spoke, looking where she was now pointing. "One is forming over there too."

Falco nodded, watching another vein of the blue plasma form in the sky and start to slowly stretch out. After a minute he reached down and helped Katt to her feet, and while he turned back to the cave, Katt couldn't take her eyes off the sky. Falco waited a few moments before he spoke up. "What has you so locked onto those things?"

Katt glanced at Falco before facing the cave. "Kursed told me how her planet vanished, and she mentioned streaks of blue in the sky. The way she put it, it sounded like they had expanded quicker then the ones we're see right now, but still..."

Falco blinked and faced the cave as well. "When you put it that way, I better try and warn..." he trailed off and raised his wrist gauntlet, sorting through the channels and trying to see if he could raise Fox. He shook his head a moment later though and let out a sigh of frustration. "Damn it, can't reach Fox. We're just going to have to head and down and hope we run into them, either that or head back in a day and hope this planet hasn't vanished again."

Katt nodded and followed Falco into the cave, as they started following the pathway Katt spoke up. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

* * *

Kursed finished sliding on her belly underneath the low hanging rock. She reached forward and pulled herself a few more feet into the tunnel, wincing as the sharper rocks poked her through her clothes. She had already hit quite a few corners with her elbows and knees and knew that tomorrow she was really going to hate walking, but she just kept pulling herself forward.

"Hows it look?" Fox's voice came from behind her where he was waiting, crouched down at the entrance to the collapsed tunnel. He leaned down and looked into the small opening that Kursed was now making her way through.

"Cramped." she stopped and took a moment to catch her breath, it was hard work pulling her body like this, and since they were deep inside the planet, heat stuck around for a fair while with no cross breeze that she could feel from larger caverns. She shook her head slightly to try and get some of the sweat out of her eyes as she called back. "I think if you push, or drag the bags behind you, they'll fit."

The pair had already ditched their bigger bags for smaller versions earlier in the tunnel, taking only what they deemed was required. That had worked well in the tight tunnel until they had reached the collapsed section, after a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would go first to see if they could continue through the tight tunnel, a smug Fox had informed Kursed, that she would be the one to to go through first.

Another few minutes passed of her scraping her way along the tunnel until she lifted her hands up and grasped at a edge instead of more collapsed stone. "Thank the gods." she muttered as she found a quick burst of strength to finish pulling her sore body out of the hole and sitting down next to the exit. She panted there for a moment before she called out. "Hey Fox, want to try and roll a bottle of water through?"

She didn't hear an answer, but a short while later she heard something clunking against the rock and she let out a snort of amusement when her canteen rolled out of the exit to stop next to her foot. She quickly grabbed it and greedily gulped down some water, sighing as she leaned back against the rock and waited for Fox. After about twenty minutes she heard scuffling and grunting coming from the collapsed section. She crouched down and watched as her bag appeared to be moving down the tunnel. When it got close enough she leaned down into the collapse section, grabbing a strap and pulling the bag the rest of the way out.

As she stood up she heard Fox's voice. "Its like crawling through Hell right now! Damn!"

Kursed chuckled. "Yeah, and right now, with those bags, I bet you're thinking that you should have chosen to go first instead of sending me with that smug grin."

She heard Fox scoff and she grinned. "Yeah, I should have realized I would be dragging one bag and pushing another." he paused and she heard more scuffling as he pulled himself another few feet. "Why didn't we bring more rope, could have just had one dragging behind us attached to the bags, then pulled them through."

Kursed glanced down the length they still had to go. "I have no idea, I thought we had more, but we must have left it in the bigger bags back when the tunnel first narrowed." She turned back to the tunnel and crouched down, reaching a hand out. "Come on, give me your hand."

Fox gratefully clasped her paw in his own and working together, Fox reached the end of the tunnel much quicker. When Fox was clear enough to stand up, Kursed let go and reached down to her bag where her staff was, she ignited the end and frowned at her hand, as she tucked the staff into its holster before clipping the belts back over her back.

She turned back to Fox who was drinking from his own canteen. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked sharply as she held the hand he had grabbed out in front of him.

Fox just looked at her out of one eye as he continued to down water before he glanced down at her palm where the ruby liquid coated her palm. He finished his drink and sighed softly wiping his mouth before he responded. "If you think its blood, you would be right." Fox held out his own hand and Kursed sighed softly when she saw the large ragged cut that covered his palm.

She knelt down next to her bag and pulled out the small med kit. "How did that happen?" she asked as she opened the kit.

Fox shrugged. "I grabbed a sharp rock and pulled, it sliced right through." he paused when he realized what she was doing. "It can wait Kursed, I'm fine."

Kursed glanced over her shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. "Bullshit, that needs stitches, and at the very least a bandage." she pointed to the rock wall next to her. "Sit."

Fox shook his head and chuckled softly as he sat down next to Kursed and held out his hand. Kursed turned to him with a roll of bandages in her hand. "What's so funny?" she asked as she placed a gauze pad across the cut and started wrapping it.

Fox was quiet for a moment before he responded. "Krystal used to treat me like that when I got hurt in the field." Kursed raised an eyebrow and Fox continued. "Forceful you know, she would make sure we were in a safe area then force me down on the ground while she took care of it." he laughed softly again. "At this rate I should get a punch card from you. 'Get fixed up two more times and get a third one for free!'"

Kursed scoffed as Fox chuckled softly as his own joke. "You sound like Lombardi."

Fox just grinned. "That is not always a bad thing." his grin vanished though as he raised his other arm. "That reminds me." he took his paw back from Kursed as she tied off the bandage. Gently he checked through the signals on his gauntlet to see if he could reach Falco. "Nothing." he said with a small sigh

Kursed stood up, throwing her pack over her shoulders, she had to bow her head slightly to avoid touching the roof of the cave. "Even if we're in the cleared area, there is way to much rock between us for the gauntlets to work without something to bridge the signal."

Fox stood up, shouldering his pack one handed as he stood up. "Your right of course." he slipped his injured paw through the straps of his bag slowly. "Still, I had to try."

Kursed nodded then turned and led the way down the tunnel, they continued is silence for a moment before Fox spoke up. "Hey Kursed, you said this leads to the crystal right?" Her response was one word "Yeah." Fox frowned as he voiced what was on his mind. "Then shouldn't we be going down at some point?"

As he finished his question, Kursed stopped moving and so did Fox. "Funny you should say that..." she trailed off and Fox glanced over her shoulder.

In front of them, the cave floor dipped sharply, turning into a steep slide the led down into the darkness. Fox whistled softly. "Any idea how far it goes like that?"

Kursed shook her head. "No." Kursed dropped to one knee near the edge. "It doesn't look that steep, I bet we could slide down on our backs and be fine."

Fox nodded. "Until we hit sharp rocks, then we'll regret that."

Kursed flicked a loose pebble away from her knee and the two vulpines listened as it clacked its way down the incline, after a minute they couldn't hear it anymore. Kursed glanced up over her shoulder at Fox who managed to stand next to her on the ledge. "I didn't hear it hit bottom, did you?"

Fox shook his head slightly, staring down into the greedy blackness that swallowed their lights "I don't like it, but what other choice do we really have? Go back and try to land on the cliff side next to Falco and Katt and race down to meet them? For all we know they ran into the same thing." He looked at Kursed. "You've never been down to the crystal?"

She shook her own head, standing up. "No, at least, not that I can remember. We're flying blind here."

Fox sighed and closed his eyes. "Alright," Fox reached over his shoulder and pulled a flare gun from the side of his backpack. "Glad I kept this." He checked the weapon over to make sure it had survived being dragged through the small tunnel before looking at Kursed. "Wait ten minutes, if you see this flare go off, come down." He glanced once more at the blackness before looking at Kursed with a grin. "Hope I don't go over an edge." He paused and his grin got wider. "Kiss for luck?"

Kursed raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "What the hell." She leaned forward and pecked him quickly on the side of the cheek.

Fox rubbed his cheek. "Wow, now I know I got to survive, Kursed actually did it."

Kursed rolled her eyes as she stepped back from the edge. "Go."

Fox walked up to the edge and glanced over his shoulder. "If you don't see the flair, try to backtrack and find a way to catch up to Falco and Katt."

Kursed nodded and Fox swallowed once before putting one foot on the incline and lifting his other foot off the edge. He dropped to his rear and felt gravity grab him as he started to slowly slid down. He kept his good hand braced on the wall and his feet pressed against the floor, keeping his slide at a safe speed that would hopefully allow him to stop in case the incline just dropped.

After a while the drop smoothed out and Fox used his momentum to rise to his feet, coming to a stop as the incline flattened out. He glanced at his gauntlet and saw that seven minutes had passed as he slid. He grabbed the flare gun and pointed it up the drop. He was about to pull the trigger when a few loose pebbles rolled down to stop next to his boots. He blinked at them for a moment before he took a few quick steps back as Kursed came sliding to a stop in front of him.

"So much for waiting." Fox said softly as Kursed stood up and brushed off her rear.

"Rough on the tail." She said as she ran a hand over her tail to brush it free of loose rocks. She glanced up at Fox to see his frown. "I got bored, and I saw you on your way down, figured if I used both my hands I could stop myself if something happened." She paused and frowned. "Also, I feel like we need to hurry."

Fox tucked the flare gun back into his backpack and grabbed his blaster, turning the light on again. "Why?"

She shook her head. "I don't know why, I just know we're running out of time." Fox sighed and she continued. "I'm not any happier about it then you. I would tell you more if I knew more."

Fox started walking, Kursed following him. "I know Kursed, lets just keep going and hope the crystal isn't too far away."

They walked in silence for almost an hour until Fox killed the light on his blaster and waved at Kursed to kill her staffs glow. Kursed pulled her staff out of its holster, extinguishing the light at the tip but extending the weapon and keeping it in her hands as Fox the led the way towards a glow at the end of the cave with his blaster pulled to his shoulder and ready to fire.

As they rounded a corner Fox lowed the blaster while Kursed let out a low exclamation as they walked into a large cavern.

The cavern was lit by glowing stone that dominated the center of the room, the stone's eerie glow a pale white that lit every corner and crack of the cavern, casting it into sharp relief. Fox glanced around the cavern, keeping his blaster at the ready while Kursed approached the stone wall in front of her. As she got closer her mind flashed back to the bonding ceremony she had done as a child as he head filled with the whispers of those that had moved on. She slid her staff into its holster as she reached her hands out and laid them against the stone, closing her eyes as the voices got louder.

"Kursed."

Kursed glanced over at Fox as he called out her name. She felt her eyes widen when she saw Fox standing next to a computer station and a generator providing power. As she walked over Fox glanced at her. "I'm sure I know the answer, but I gotta ask: This doesn't belong here does it?" Kursed shook her head and Fox sighed. "I thought not." he holstered his blaster and bent over the keyboard. "Its not locked or anything, thank god, otherwise there is no way we could see whats here. Unless you know how to hack into systems like these?" he glanced at Kursed to see her shake her head again. "Thought not, alright, let's see what we got."

The files were well organized and it didn't take Fox long to find a folder marked 'Journals'. He opened the folder and glanced through the marked dates. The earliest folder was from six years ago and Fox chose that one to open. A collection of text and video files met him and he clicked on the oldest video file.

He stepped back from the screen as the video opened and Andross's face appeared on screen. _"It has been two years since the 'event' has taken place. I have only just managed to get this system running and I'm not quite sure where in the universe I am at the moment. Or if I'm even in the same dimension anymore. The comet that originally led me to this backwards planet was rumored to be able to travel across time and space. My only saving grace has been the fact that I had landed my cruiser before the planet warped. Although my men on the surface died as we warped, there seemed to be no damage to the planet itself or my systems. Whatever happened, its as if it only affected living beings, not organics per say, but those that had say a heartbeat, and even then, only those on the surface._

"_The Cerinians that lived here, those that survived my original assault anyway, retreated to caves where they would be safe before we warped, almost as if they knew it was going to happen. Those that I have captured have not been able to give me a straight answer, always claiming that some nonsense god or other impossible thing told them to hide in the caves." _Andross paused and rubbed his chin. _"At the very least they make good test subjects. I have subjected them to the same tests I ran on myself to increase my own life span and durability from back on Venom. I of course modified the experiment to reduced defiance and make them more susceptible to my command. I'm still not sure if its from my modifications or if something in the Cerinians genetic code that causes it, but all of them that I expose to it, molt their fur and their skin turns an ugly gray. I'll document the full process in another file, but for now, they follow my commands, but they seem to be quite dense and capable of little thought of their own, I have released most of them to the surface to see if they will try to live their lives as they used to._

"_On another note though, I did achieve success on my nano machine reanimation project, out of some spite that I have held onto over the years, the subject I choose to test this on has responded well. Part of his brain tissue remains intact and he has several of his earlier memories. But he's loyal to a fault __and has increased strength." _Andross glanced behind him at the stone wall in the background._ "All of this has been possible just by studying the rock wall behind me. It didn't take me very long to realize that this wall was not the Crystal that I originally came here for. I am sure that the Crystal lies beyond the wall, but everything I bring to bear on the wall leaves not a mark." _He turned back to the camera. _"I am sure now that somehow the staff that young Krystal stole before she made off in the shuttle somehow is the key to getting through the wall. All I can really hope for is that some time in the future I can find my way back to Lylat and try and track her down. I already have an idea on how to trigger these planet jumps, but I have no way to set a goal. It's not as if I have someplace important to be, or will be running out of time anytime soon, but I would like to get back to my actual lab on Venom before it rots into nothing." _Andross paused again and his face hardened. _"Mark my words, I will get that Crystal, or I will die trying."_

The video log closed out and Fox glanced at Kursed. "Well, we know that Andross was alive at least two years after you left."

Kursed nodded. "The question is if hes still alive now."

"Yes."

That simple word had Fox and Kursed turning around while drawing their weapons, Fox readying his blaster, while Kursed readied the plasma blast on her staff.

She shouldn't have been really surprised, but standing across the cavern stood Andross Bowman, alive and well, and looking almost exactly like he had the last time she had seen him. His uniform was quite a bit more worn, with patches crudely sewed on in numerous places, but the heavy blaster he carried loosely in one hand looked perfectly normal. His white hair surrounded his head almost like a lion with the way it connected to his beard, he had several stands of hair wrapped in small bands and held away from the bulk of his head, giving him a slightly wild look. Combined with that fire that burned in his eyes, his hard face, and his imposing height, Kursed couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Andross narrowed his eyes as he pointed his larger gun at Fox. "Fox McCloud, how you have grown. I can assume its safe to say that I'm back in range of Lylat." he turned his gaze to Kursed. "I see you have found Krystal, thank you for returning her to me. She holds something I need."

Fox glanced at Kursed and her staff before he spoke up. "You act like you've never seen me before Andross, I've killed you a few times at least. As for Krystal, shes dead, died a long time ago, this is Kursed."

Andross narrowed his eyes. "You've killed me? When?"

Fox blinked, surprised by the question. "Once on Venom, where you're experiments caused you to turn into a giant head with no body but two huge hands, and again on Sauria where you tried to revive yourself."

Andross nodded. "That would explain why Venom never contacted me again. You killed my bioweapon, although the fact that he had figured out a way to come back to life is interesting, I shall have to look into that. After I dispose of you and take that staff of course." He focused on Kursed. "You say that Krystal is dead, but its hard to believe that when she is standing next to you. True her eye color has been artificially changed, and her tattoos have been covered up with a dye, but that is Krystal." Andross shook his head. "Its of no matter really. Marcus, take care of the one who looks like your daughter, I shall handle Fox."

Before Fox or Kursed could react, a rough hand clasped Kursed on her shoulder and spun her around before a hard palm strike to her chest sent her stumbling back towards the glowing wall. Andross moved forward, firing at Fox who took cover behind the computer console to avoid Andross's shots.

Kursed recovered from her hit and raised her eyes to her opponent, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. His fur was dirty and stuck together in places, with some places missing it altogether and revealing the pale and sometimes black patches of skin below. His face was scarred and there was a large patch of ugly skin over his bare chest. His eyes however were the same turquoise green hue as her eyes had originally been, that combined with the name that Andross had used, and Kursed couldn't deny the fact that she was looking at a shell of her father.

Kursed tightened her grip on her staff and spoke up softly. "Father? Are you in there?"

Marcus growled low in his throat and took a step forward, Kursed back away a step to keep distance between them. "...Daughter..." his voice was rough and sounded like it was coming out of a bad speaker.

Kursed felt tears form in her eyes and she frowned and took another few steps back. She inhaled and straightened, holding a hand out towards Marcus. "Father, I don't want to fight you, I know part of you is in there, fight it, fight _him_."

Marcus paused for a moment before dashing forward suddenly and sliding underneath her outstretched arm, spinning around and grabbing her arm in one hand while he drove an elbow into her gut with his other arm. Kursed cried out in pain as she felt one of her ribs break, before she had even finished her cry though, Marcus brought his other hand up and using her arm, flipped her over his body and smashed her roughly into the ground. Kursed's cry turned into a groan and she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the pain. When she opened them, she sat up slowly and grabbed her staff from where she had lost it after hitting the ground.

She spun around and readied herself for a fight. She knew that she was already at a disadvantage with her broken rib, but she was going to try and free her father from Andross's control. Her Father lowered himself into a combat stance, his hands open and ready to catch any blows she rained on him with her staff. She briefly thought about using her pistol, but after what had happened last time she knew that she would just have to disable her father. She slid her hand along her staff, triggering the cryo blast. She swung the staff up into the air and created a fog of freezing air, she twisted her hand and activated the blaster, shooting the plasma into the cloud and turning it into an expanding cloud of steam.

As Marcus faded from sight, Kursed took two steps into the fog and swung with all her might where she knew his middle would be, just like he had taught her. But since he was the one that taught her, and he still retained some of his memories, his hand was waiting for the staff and he locked a steel grip around the pole, pulling Kursed forward out of the cloud and driving his other arm into her left shoulder. Hitting hard enough to damage the shoulder blade and pop her shoulder joint out of place.

Kursed let out a small cry at the pain and stumbled back, losing her hold on the staff as Marcus pulled it out of her slackened grip. Kursed held her injured shoulder with one hand while she panted in pain. She closed her eyes for a second before dropping her good hand towards her holster. She quickly loosed her magnum and raised it, pulling the trigger twice. The first two shots bounced into the ceiling of the cave as Marcus activated the shield function of the staff. Kursed felt panic overtake her, something that had not happened in a very long time. She waited for the shield to phase out before she pulled the trigger two more times.

Marcus had already moved away and dodged both shots, she turned around to keep him in sight and backed away until her back touched the glowing wall behind her. She gulped heavily as Marcus advanced slowly towards her, behind him, she could see Fox pop out of cover and send a few shots towards Andross, but the ape just activated a barrier and deflected the shots into the side of the cave.

She focused back on Marcus and pulled the trigger, but every shot missed as Marcus dodged from side to side, too fast for her injured body to keep up with. When her slide locked back with a heavy click Kursed felt her eyes widen and her heart beat faster as she thumbed the clip release, already lowering her hand to slide in another clip.

She never got that far.

Marcus dashed forward and jammed the staff into Kursed's stomach, lifting her up off the ground with his enhanced strength. He held her painfully against the wall for a moment and Kursed's wide eyes melt his soulless and cold ones. Before she could do anything else, Marcus adjusted his grip and shoved forward with the staff, driving the point through Kursed lower abdomen and slicing right through her insides. Kursed couldn't help the scream of pain as Marcus kept pushing, shoving the staff right through her spine and causing her legs to go numb and dangle below her. Kursed grabbed the staff to try and pull it out, her own life blood keeping the staff slick against her grip. Her breaths came in short painful gasps as she tried to pull herself off her own weapon. It was at the point that she realized the Marcus was still pushing, the staff having exited her back and sliding into the glowing stone like it was water. He only stopped when he was left holding two hand spans of the staff outside of her body. Kursed saw the edge of her vision started to fade out and knew that in a few moments she was going to be dead.

She briefly heard Fox call out her name and she watched through blurring eyes as he took a energy shot right to the chest, spinning around and dropping to the ground, Andross advancing on him and readying for a kill shot to the back of his head. Kursed felt strength leave her neck and her head dropped loosely to the side as Marcus backed away, leaving Kursed hanging from her own staff, her life blood running down the wall behind her to pool on the ground.

As her vision continued to be eaten away by blackness she reached out to Fox with her mind since her mouth refused to work right. _"Fox...I'm so sorry...this is all my fault...my fault for running...my fault for lying about who I am...Please forgive me...I still love you...I'll always love you"_ As she stared out with her head tilted to the side, she saw herself standing further down the cave, her hands pressed to the wall, as she locked eyes with herself, she heard a voice speak up.

"_It doesn't look like you get a happy ending..." _

Kursed stepped back from the wall quickly and ran her hands over her belly where her own staff had punctured her, but there was no pain, or wound. She looked up and saw the ghost of Marcus standing in front of her. She glanced around him and saw Fox standing in front of the console, stock still.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

'Marcus' glanced towards the glowing wall to their right. _"This close to the Crystal, your abilities have been magnified significantly. Since your are of royal blood, your link to the Crystal has let you see a version of the future that might happen." _Kursed glanced around at the frozen time and 'Marcus' chuckled. _"Time isn't frozen, this is all in your head." _He walked towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder. _"What happens next will decide the fate of not only you and your mate, but of your friends as well. Choose wisely" _'Marcus' smiled. _"Better not miss it." _he snapped his fingers and Kursed jerked back from the wall with a loud gasp.

* * *

"Kursed?" Kursed blinked and glanced down at her hands before looking over at Fox, who was watching her with a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Kursed thought quickly. "Yeah sorry, I'm fine." She paused. "But we're not alone in here, somebody is coming this way, and we need to be ready for them. Hide behind the console, I've got an idea." Fox looked at her confused while she moved to the center of the cave. She glanced over at him and pointed at the console. "Go! Trust me."

Fox glanced where she was facing but after a moment he nodded and moved back behind the console, crouching down and staying out of sight. Kursed felt Andross getting closer and she gave one last bit of instructions, sent directly to Fox. _"No matter what happens, Don't move until you know you can get them both."_

Fox frowned before he nodded. Kursed drew her staff, leaving it collapsed, and faced the direction Andross would come. Before long she met his eyes as he came around the bend in the cavern. His step halted for a moment before he moved closer, getting with in a few body lengths of her. He bent over and studied her face for a moment. He straightened a second later. "Eye dye." his voice was the same as her vision, and the same voice she remembered. "Some sort of skin altering pigment. Voice changer in your throat." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "I must say, its a lot to go through to change your looks Krystal. What was the point of it all? Although I can guess that by your presence here, Cerinia is close to Lylat at the moment, correct?" He didn't even let her answer. "Its of no matter, I can confirm shortly, I had almost given up on ever getting back to Lylat. But if you're here, then that means there is a ship that I can scrap for parts." He turned around and clasped his hands behind his back. "Surely you must know what happens now? You have the staff and I need it to get through that wall. Now the question is: Are you going to give it to me, or will I be taking it?"

Kursed glanced down at the staff in her hand. "So...First thing, Krystal is dead, she's been dead for years." Kursed looked up and started at Andross who turned around to face her. "Second, as for the staff," Kursed tightened her grip on the collapsed staff causing a build up of red energy "You can have it after you pry it out of my cold dead hands!" Kursed extended the staff and activated the super quake function jamming the staff into the ground and causing the entire cave system to shake, dislodging pieces of the ceiling and creating a multitude of cracks in the ground around them.

Andross reeled back as the shaking started, leaving Kursed free to active the cry blast function and freezing the air around her, she swapped to the blaster and melted the frost into steam and stepped into it right as Marcus reached for her shoulder. Before he could recover from missing his grab the staff came flying out to jab him hard in the gut, forcing him back a step. Kursed stepped out of the steam, appearing like a ghost, swinging the staff with all her might at his head. The staff connected with a heavy thud and sent Marcus stumbling. Kursed turned back around and dropped the staff to the ground, activating the shield function just in time to send Andross' blaster shot flying into the ceiling.

Before she could stand back up, she felt two strong hands clamp down on her shoulder, and the next thing she knew she was flying through the air towards the glowing wall. She tightened her grip on her staff and closed her eyes as the wall rushed to meet her. For a second she felt like she had been thrown into a pool of water, her speed dropped quickly and before she could even open her eyes or inhale she landed roughly on her shoulder with the glowing wall behind her. She kept her eyes closed and reached out with her mind past the barrier.

She felt Fox's panic as he prepared to try and reach her. _"Fox, I'm okay, I'm on the other side, just stay hidden, don't attack yet. The Cerinian Andross has with him is stronger then you can handle. Just wait for a few more minutes and he should be removed from the fight."_

She heard Fox's voice as he though out an answer to her _"Kursed?! How did you ge- Wait, never mind, what are you going to do that will get rid of Andross's helper"_

Kursed opened her eyes and stared out at what was in front of her. _"Hopefully fix Cerinia."_ She severed her connection to Fox as she stood up and walked slowly towards what was in front of her.

The Crystal was large, at least twice as big as Kursed was, it sat in a small crater that Kursed stopped on the edge of. She had expected something floating, or at least glowing, pretty even. But the Crystal her eyes landed on was a deep, dark, light engulfing, black, and was pulsing with a deep and wicked purple energy that ran along the surface in waves. It was laying crooked inside the crater as if had been carelessly dropped there. As she stared at it she couldn't help herself.

"This isn't right." she said softly as she crouched down on the lip of the crater, collapsing her staff and laying it on the ground next to her.

"_You're right."_ Kursed didn't even bother turning around to look at 'Marcus' _"The Crystal has been corrupted by what took place here so many years ago, and by what the ape has done to its people." _he paused for a moment. _"It's power has been dampened by the darkness, that is why Andross controls your fathers body when he should have long ago moved on, that's why the rest of our species has been following his orders for these past years. Their bonds to the crystal have been blocked by this darkness...they have lost their will to fight..." _he trailed off into silence.

Kursed sighed. "Is there anyway to fix this?"

'Marcus' knelt down next to her. _"There is." _he pointed at the staff next to her. _"You can burn away the corruption, the darkness."_

Kursed picked up the staff in one hand. "But?"

'Marcus' glanced at her _"It will cost you, more then you or even I can really know."_

Kursed glanced down at the staff, her grip tightening over the pole. She glanced up at 'Marcus' "But it will save Cerinia?" He nodded silently "...Then I'll bear the cost, no matter what." She paused for a moment more. "Is this all in my head as well?"

He grinned at her suddenly _"What do you think?" _

Kursed blinked and found herself staring at the corrupted Crystal again, her staff in her hand. She stood up and stared at the staff for a moment, she extended the staff and pointed it at the crystal. She took a couple deep breaths before she twisted her palm and activated the blaster function. "I hope this works." she said softly as she ran her thumb along the staff, causing the blast of energy to fly out and strike the Crystal.

As the energy dissipated across the black covering the Crystal, Kursed cried out and dropped to the ground, holding her paw against her head. Her eyes watering, she glanced up at where she had hit the Crystal, the black was cracked and a dull blue light could be seen shining through. Kursed took a couple more deep breaths and forced herself to her knees, she braced the staff against her once more and aimed at the cracked spot. She fired again and this time some of the black actually vanished underneath the heat, revealing the bright glow of the Crystal beneath it. Kursed cried out again, this time dropping the staff as she grabbed her head with both hands, the pain was extraordinary, far beyond anything she had ever experienced before. It felt as if her very soul and spirit was being torn apart.

After a moment though, Kursed grabbed the staff and stood up, her head still splitting, and her eyes still wet with tears. She stood shakily for a moment before taking a step down into the crater towards the Crystal. She hadn't even made it two steps though before she stumbled and fell, rolling the rest of the way to a stop next to the Crystal. She laid there for another moment before she forced herself to her feet again, She managed to pull herself onto the side of the Crystal and make her way towards the top. When she reached the top, she braced herself and started charging her super quake. When the staff vibrated gently she raised the staff high above her head and brought it smashing down on top of the Crystal.

She cried out in pain again as cracks spread out from where she had hit it, covering the entire Crystal and letting more of the glow out. She felt her powers flare wildly and out of her control as the pain scraped its way across her nerves. She dropped to one knee, only managing to remain that high because the staff caught in one of the many cracks. As she tried to pull herself together, she briefly touched Fox's mind

"_Kursed? What's going on?! I'm seeing...Krystal...?"_

Krystal felt a different type of tears form on the edge of her eyes as she forced herself to stand up again. Her entire body felt like it was coated in lava and she wasn't sure if her mind could handle anymore. As she charged the super quake again, she spoke up in a ragged voice, repeating the words from her vision. "Fox...I'm so sorry...for running...for lying about who I am...Please forgive me..." She brought the staff down again, and this time the thick shell of black flew away from the Crystal as the quake hit it. The force was so strong, that it even flung Krystal into the air. Krystal screamed as the pain made her feel like her entire body was being ripped apart, bit by tiny bit. As she flew through the air, she felt her consciousness start to fade. She landed roughly on the ground at the lip of the crater, the staff flying from her hands, as the Crystal slowly floated into the air above her.

Darkness was eating at her vision, and she by now was just numb to the pain, and she knew what was happening. Her body was slowly shutting down, nerves by nerve, and organ by organ. As her eyes started to glaze over she felt a smile play at her lips as she stared at the Crystal, pure once again, a single tear crowing at the edge of her eye as she whispered into the air. "Please forgive me...Fox..." her head tilted to the side as the last of her strength failed her and her eyelids started to close. "I'm sorry, so sorry...please...I...I lo..." Her breath petered out of her lungs and her vision blacked out as the one last tear ran down her face to drip to the cold, hard, ground.

* * *

_**...Is the evil laughter even required at this point? **_

_**Anyway, like I said up top, still not sure how I feel about this, the whole Kursed vision thing is kinda what worries me, so, I would love some feedback on what you all thought. Now to be clear, I don't think any of it was badly written, I'm just not sure if it fits with the story, ya know? Also, I see a lot of rage coming my way for the cliff hanger, so go rant at me in the review box.**_

_**Speaking of, its of course, Guest Reviews! Only one this week.**_

_**Black O'Donnell: Glad you enjoyed, and be truthful, after reading this new chapter, Are you still excited for the update, given everything that happened at the end? Thanks for your vote though, and explaning your reasons, I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I close the poll here in a few days. As for the after story one shot, best response ever, gave me a good chuckle.**_

_**So, a few notes for you of course, first off, after feeling like utter crap for the past few weeks, I'm finally starting to feel like myself, thank, god. Because it was honestly so bad, I couldn't even type some days because I would feel sick after a little while. Anyway, I'm already hard at work on the next chapter, I won't say when, but hopefully it will come sooner then expected : }**_

_**Also, the cover image, the background of Kursed was from an artist that I commission to do a piece, but shes been awol on that bit for a few months, and she released the image to the public on her DA account and told me it was practice, So, I'll be using that until she comes back with the image I actually want. By the by, her name is Katalicious and she also writes some good Star Fox stuff when she ever gets around to it, but like I said, awol, so none of it has been updated in a long time.  
**_

_**Oh, and of course, Thirteen reviews! Woots! Destinies just broke two-thousand views a few days ago, and since I last updated Dead Planet, it got six-hundred hits! You guys are awesome, here's something else salvaged from my hard drive for you!**_

* * *

"Fox!" The happy cry came from the brown large eared fennec sitting on the arm rest of one of the couches.

Fox grinned as he stepped towards her. "Fara, long time, how you been?"

Fara Phoenix had a grin that split her face in half as she answered. "Oh you know, been busy, doing a little of this, a little of that." She was dressed in a black denim jacket with a dark red cut off shirt exposing her midriff and cut low enough to show the top part of her bra. She was wearing red pants that ran down to thigh high steel toed boots . The hand she waved at Fox was covered with a few metal rings and from her left ear hung...

"Earrings? Really? I thought you hated those things." Fox asked as he took a step forward and shook her hand.

Fara laughed as she reached up and ran a finger over the three large hoop earnings that hung from her left ear. The thin pieces of metal clinked together to create a ringing sound. "I know, but I just got off an assignment, and this was all part of my cover." Her grin changed to a guilty one as she stared at Fox. "But now that I have them in, I kinda like em."

Fara worked in the special or black operations area of the Corneria government. She had used to be an instructor at the academy where Fox and Falco met. Her skill in an Arwing was matched only by those of Star fox themselves. Although she occasionally flew with Star Fox as the leader of third squad made up of recruits looking to prove themselves. Her main source of income was the Corneria government, and she had been undercover somewhere for the past few months, trying to root out some crime lord.

"Well, I for one like them." this came from Miyu Lynx, the third pilot underneath Fox and Krystal. The brown and black spotted Lynx was lanky and had as much attitude as Falco did. Miyu had been a mercenary in a group that Fox had fought with over some mission. She had been left for dead by her group after Fox and Falco had shot down her boss, and Fox had rescued her. She had quickly warmed up to Star Fox and joined them as a back up pilot. Now that there were two main squads she flew with Krystal and Fox on all missions. Although she still occasionally struck out on her own from time to time, it was always after she made sure that Fox didn't need her for anything.

* * *

_**Edit 08-06-13: So, sorry for those that came here today to look for an update, or for any readers that just got finished here. I wanted to try and get this updated today, but I just ran out of time. Still, with what I have done, as long as nothing bad happens, I should see you all next week. Also hopefully on Saturday with a Destiny update.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	13. The Dead Truth

_**I just, Ugh...Its 0442, I'm tired, I just had my mind blown by the story in Tales of Xilla, and I'm sure this chapter will...feh..just read, and try to enjoy.**_

* * *

_Star Fox:_** The Dead Planet **_Chapter 13: _**The Dead Truth**

* * *

Fox was standing in front of the console when he heard Kursed gasp from behind him, he turned to face her "Kursed?" he called out, a frown forming on his face as he saw her back away from the glowing wall, her hands held out in front of her, and confusion plain on her face. She glanced down at her hands before turning to look at Fox. "Are you okay?" he asked as he took a step towards her

Kursed nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine." she paused and blinked. "But we're not alone in here, someone is coming this way, and we need to be ready for them." She pointed towards the console he had been ready to dig into. "Hide behind that console, I've got an idea." Fox stayed where he was, as Kursed moved into the center of the pathway. He frowned in confusion as she glanced at him. "Go! Trust me."

Fox glanced down the cave in the direction she was facing before he nodded and quickly retreated behind the console, crouching down into a small amount of space between the console and the wall of the cave. Fox peeked his head around the side and locked eyes with Kursed just as she sent him some last minute instructions. _"No matter what happens, don't move until you know that you can get them both." _Fox nodded and Kursed drew her staff, keeping it collapsed while he watched from his hiding place. A few moments later, he heard the scraping of boots as somebody approached Kursed.

He frowned when he realized that he couldn't see who it was from his position, before he could think about moving though, he saw a blue figure come around behind Kursed from the other side of the cave. Fox tightened his uninjured hand on his blaster and wanted to say something, but remembering what she had said, he stayed where he was and just kept track of the only non mutated Cerinian that he had seen since they had arrived.

When the voice spoke up though, Fox felt his eyes widen. That voice, Andross was alive, here and now, and not even fifty feet from Fox. He listened as Andross confused Krystal with Kursed, talking about eye dyes, skin pigments, and voice changers. While Fox thought about that, Andross moved on with his conversation, telling Kursed that he would have her staff, one way or another.

Fox got ready to move, adjusting his crouch and bringing his weapon to bear on the Cerinian that was sneaking its way up towards Kursed. He was just getting ready to make a move since the Cerinian was about to grab Kursed when she raised the staff and caused a red glow to appear. Fox felt his eyes widen and slid back behind the console, bracing himself against the wall. A few moments later the ground started to shake as the super quake distributed its energy into the surface below him. He saw several cracks spread out from underneath the console and climb up the wall in front of him.

He stuck his head around the corner again just in time to see Kursed leap out of a cloud of steam, whiffs of white trailing after he like she was a god about to smite a non believer, as she slammed her staff into the side of the head of the Cerinian who had been sneaking up behind her. Fox heard the impact from where he was, but what surprised him was the fact that the blow, which would have killed anybody else, just sent the Cerinian stumbling away from Kursed. Before she could finish him off, she turned around and dropped her staff down onto the ground, the shield forming just as a blaster shot hit it and smashed into the ceiling above her, dislodging even more rocks.

Fox watched as the Cerinian rushed up and laid both hands on her shoulders, picking her up and tossing her across the room like she weighed nothing. Fox got ready to make his move, to attack Andross and this new enemy before they could finish off Kursed after her painful impact with the wall. But as she flew, Kursed clutched the staff tightly and hit the wall with her shoulder, and then went right through it, like it wasn't even there.

Fox blinked, thinking he had missed something, but the reactions of the others confirmed what he saw.

The Cerinian moved over to where Kursed had gone through the wall, placing his hands on the surface and trying to push through it. He glanced over his shoulder and ducked out of the way as Andross sent a charge shot into the wall. "No!" He cried out when the small explosion cleared to reveal the plain wall. He stormed over to the Cerinian and smashed the blaster into his face, knocking him back a step. "Damn you! You played right into her trap! She _knew _that you were going to throw her, somehow she _knew_, and she used it against you. She had the staff and the wall just let her through!" Andross turned to face the wall. "Damn it!"

Fox took a moment to study the Cerinian and that was when he realized that while he may not have been mutated, something else entirely had happened to him. His face was slightly deformed from the blaster hit, but no blood flowed from his muzzle, tufts of his fur were stuck together while others were missing completely. The biggest thing though was the shiny circle of scar tissue that dominated his chest, that combined with the strength that he demonstrated when he threw Kursed like she was nothing convinced Fox that this enemy was one to treat with extreme caution.

Fox couldn't help the panicked thoughts that dominated his mind right now, all focused on what had happened to Kursed. He didn't know if he could help her right now, but he knew that if he could somehow take out both Andross and his Cerinian, he could at the very least, study the wall and try to figure something out. He glanced down at his blaster and his wrapped paw, he knew he couldn't do any close combat right now, so his first goal had to be the Cerinian, he switched his blaster to charge mode and was about to charge the shot when he heard Kursed's voice in his head.

_"Fox, I'm okay, I'm on the other side, just stay hidden, don't attack yet. The Cerinian Andross has with him is stronger then you can handle. Just wait for a few more minutes and he should be removed from the fight."_

Fox nearly sighed in relief, but he held it in, instead forming thoughts to send her way. _"Kursed?! How did you ge-" _Fox paused as he realized that the staff was what allowed her through,_ "Wait, never mind, what are you going to do that will get rid of Andross's helper"_

There was such a long silence that Fox was worried something bad had happened, then he heard her voice again. _"Hopefully fix Cerinia." _Fox felt her withdraw from his mind and resisted the urge to curse since he still had more questions. All he could do now was sit behind the console and watch Andross fume as he stared at the wall in front of him, the Cerinian standing next to him, turning his head and keeping his gaze roaming the room.

Fox was just about out of patience when something happened. He placed a hand against his head and winced as pain stabbed its way into his skull like a stake. As he tried to figure out what was causing it, another burst of pain hit him, in the exact same spot, and then he realized what it was.

Kursed, she was in trouble, and in so much pain that he felt it on his end through their Bond.

The pain faded to a dull throb and Fox made a command decision right there. He adjusted his grip on his blaster and took a step out from behind the console, straightening to his full height while sliding his thumb along the power selection of his blaster. "Hey, Andross!" he called out as he took aim.

Andross whirled around at the sound of his name, he was already aiming his weapon, but Fox had already pulled the trigger on his weapon.

The blue bolt slammed into Andross's chest, driving him back a step, but not bringing him down, then another bolt hit him, and another, and another, Fox kept pulling the trigger as he walked towards Andross, only pausing in his shots to briefly check out the Cerinian, who seemed to be suffering from the same pain that Fox had just gotten over.

When he reached the halfway point to the wall, he stopped walking, he continued to fire a few more times, and by this time, Andross was back against the wall, his blaster dropped after the first three shots. As the last bolt of energy sank into his chest though, Andross groaned and his knees buckled as his weight pushed him back against the wall. His eyes rolled up into his head and his breathing took on a ragged tone.

Fox wanted to sneer at the ape, wanted to say something fitting, but the cold anger that had overtaken him right then wasn't about Andross. It was about Kursed, and finding a way to get to her. He spared another glance at the Cerinian who seemed to come back to his sense and started to walk towards Fox. He only got one step through before it happened again.

The pain struck them both this time, freezing the Cerinian in his tracks and causing Fox to drop to a knee and groan. As he tried to stand up, he felt Kursed's mind touch his, and he opened his eyes as a rush of memories that weren't his own flooded his mind. The only thing was, some of them felt like they were his own.

There he was, holding out a hand and clasping her blue furred paw so she didn't drop to the stone floor below her.

Then, he came running around a corner as an Aparoid chased him, only to be felled by the heavy blaster she held in her hands.

Now, he was standing in front of her, holding out his hand with a ring glistening in the dim light.

Another one, this time of the two of them kissing at his wedding.

Fox stood up, his eyes watering, and his connection to Kursed still there. _"Kursed? Whats going on?! I'm seeing..." _He trailed off as another memory flashed by in his head.

"_You're sure nobody will be able to trace the body back to me?" The blue furred body in front of her was badly disfigured, making anything but a DNA test useless for identifying it._

_The Doctor in front of her nodded. "Of course not, I'm insulted that you would ask, I typed your DNA into it, just like you asked, use this in combination with your new voice and eyes, I doubt anybody will connect Kursed with Krystal." The Doctor paused. "Of course, those tattoos could be a problem."_

_She sighed and held out a hand, a handful of credits sitting in a loose pile. "Make them gone then."_

Fox felt his heart pound as he realized just what he was seeing. Shock dominated his system, along with the fading pain, and he felt like he couldn't breath. _"...Krystal...?" _Fox trailed off his own thought, not sure if he wanted to know the answer, or if he could handle it.

A moment later, he felt sadness flow through the Bond, along with the words that she was speaking out loud. _"Fox...I'm so sorry...for running...for lying about who I am...Please forgive me..." _Fox forced himself to take a step towards the wall. "Krystal!" he cried out as another wave of pain swarmed over him, he dimly heard the Cerinian scream in pain as it fell to the ground and Fox found himself glancing at it, its empty eyes staring straight ahead. He turned back to the wall and fought his way through the pain to pound a fist on the wall. "Krystal!" he called again, as if shouting at the wall would let him in.

Suddenly, the pain faded, and the connection weakened. This scared Fox more then anything he had encountered on this planet so far. "Krystal! Answer me!" he cried out in desperation, his fist still beating on the wall. He heard her voice again in his head, a quiet thing that had him stopped in his tracks. _"Please forgive me...Fox..."_

_"I'm sorry, so sorry...please...I...I lo..."_ her voice faded out of his mind, as well as the connection and Fox grabbed his blaster from the ground. Shooting the wall, over and over again, tears starting to well in his eyes. He felt sick to his stomach, and the sudden sadness that had over taken him, combined with a wave of dizziness, and all he could think about was the conversation about the Bonds, and now he knew how it felt to lose one. He dropped the blaster to the ground and fell to his knees, staring at the wall. His mind was awash in sadness and loss, ten times worse then he had felt when she had first run off. He fell forward onto his hands, his shoulders heaving as tears ran down his muzzle to drop onto the ground. As he sat there crying he spoke up softly, his voice soft and tight with tears. "Dad...If you can hear me...please...help me..." Fox raised his head and stared glumly at the wall and blinked a few times.

He stood up when he realized that he could see through the wall, it was rapidly dissolving into nothing, leaving no mark that it had ever been there. Fox darted his eyes to the floor next to a crater where Krystal laid as if she had been thrown, one arm hanging limply over the edge of the crater, the other draped across her chest. One of her legs was folded beneath the other and her head was on it side.

Fox ran forward and slid to his knees next to her, he took a few panicked moments to glance over her body before moving her arm and putting his head on her chest, listening for the sounds of life. There were none and Fox pulled back, lifting her head up so that she was staring at the ceiling and stacking his hands on her chest and pushing down, counting under his breath as he did so.

"One, two, three, four, five..." he continued until fifteen, then he leaned over her and blew into her muzzle. He paused for a moment before he was back to the chest compressions, again, counting under his breath. He was dimly aware of people running towards him, but he couldn't focus on that right now, all he could see was that memory of Krystal talking about becoming Kursed. He felt so stupid for ignoring the signs, but now that he knew, he couldn't stand the thought of losing her again, this time for real.

He kept this up for another two minutes, dimly aware of Katt crying into Falco's shoulder behind him. Fox never stopped, he went long past the point where any other sane person would have stopped. He had just finished another set of chest compression when he froze. He cocked his ear and reared back slightly as Krystal sucked in a ragged breath of air and coughed as her eyes flew open and her back arched. He felt her dig her claws into his leg, but he didn't care because she locked gazes with him and her eyes returned to their normal size. "...Fox..." she said softly as her body relaxed and her eyes closed again.

Fox panicked for a moment until he realized that she was still breathing, she had just passed out. He sighed and gently picked her up, slowly working his way up to his feet. "Its okay." he said softly. "I've got you now" He turned around and faced Falco and Katt. "I see you guys found you way down easy enough."

Where both Krystal and Fox were covered in dirt and had various scratches, Falco and Katt only looked sweaty from a long walk.

Falco nodded. "Yeah, it turns into a giant staircase pretty quickly in. Was an easy trip, doesn't look like you had an easy of a time though."

Fox shook his head. "I bet the stairs were so he could get out easier." Fox nodded at Andross, now laying on the floor, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Falco blinked before he pulled his revolver out of its holster and walked over to the ape. He leaned down and placed the barrel to the side of his head.

"Falco, wait." Fox wasn't sure why he said it, and from the look Falco gave him, he couldn't believe it either.

Falco shook his head. "Fox, this is _Andross_, we can't let him live, he could escape." He snorted softly. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him."

Fox thought about that himself for a moment. "I thought that he might be useful, plus the stun shots were the fastest setting on the gun. I needed to buy time." Fox paused and glanced at Katt. "Did you guys run into Typhoon? I didn't see him down here."

Katt shook her head sadly. "We found him alright, halfway down on a landing, a knife in his back, and a broken neck. We covered him with a cloth and continued on."

Fox sighed. "Damn, Bill's going to be devastated." he shook his head, before he glanced up at Falco and nodded.

The gun shot was louder then it should have been, echoing through the cave and causing Fox's ears to ring. Falco stood up and looked at the red that decorated the floor in front of him before nodding and tucking his revolver back into his holster. He turned back to Fox and gestured with his head. Fox looked at Katt. "Go and find her staff will you?"

Katt nodded and the two other pilots waited while Katt searched around quickly and picked up the staff, its base was scorched black and it was stuck in its collapsed form. Katt walked back over to Fox and tucked it into the holster on Krystal's back.

Falco and Katt started walking towards where they had come from, Fox following along behind them, carrying the unconscious Krystal in his arms. He would pause occasionally as they climbed to check and make sure she was still breathing.

It was during one of these pauses that Katt glanced over her shoulder and chewed on her lip for a moment before she spoke up. "Uh...Fox, there's something I need to tell you, just in case. It's about Kursed."

Fox shook his head. "I know."

Katt blinked. "You know? Since when?"

Fox glanced down the stairway "Down there, before she...well, before she died, I saw everything."

Falco glanced between the two of them. "Is there something I should know?"

Fox pushed on ahead, shaking his head when Katt opened her mouth. "It can wait, lets keep going, I want to get her back on the _Great Fox_ as soon as I can."

Falco spoke up. "How? Katt's ship doesn't have enough room, and the Arwing only seats one."

Fox glanced over his shoulder. "We can make room in Katt's ship, it won't be comfortable for her, but she's not really in a position to complain. Then I'll wing ride with you down to the village to get her ship, and fly it up." Fox shook his head. "Then we can put this damned planet behind us and get on with our lives."

Falco was silent for a moment before he glanced at Katt who nodded. He started walking again. "Alright then, lets get moving."

It took them another hour to reach the surface since the stairway went to the mountain peak. When they emerged. Fox looked up into the sky and felt his eyes widen as she saw the streaks of blue that were slowly fading out of the sky. He glanced at Katt who was watching the streaks as well. "Why do you think they're fading?"

Fox continued towards Katt's ship. "If I had to guess, I would say it was something that happened down below." He waited for Katt to hop up into her ship and drop down a crate for him to stand on before he handed Krystal up to the feline. As he let go of her he locked eyes with Katt. "Make sure shes okay, and get her straight to the med bay."

Katt nodded and backed out of sight to tuck Krystal behind her pilots seat. Fox lifted up the crate and backed away so Katt could take off. As she flew away Falco came up and stood next to Fox, the two pilots watching as the last of the blue faded out of sight.

"So...Is Kursed...?" Falco trailed as if he couldn't believe he was asking it.

Fox was silent for a moment. "Yeah."

Falco shook his head. "Damn." He glanced at his friend. "This entire time?" Fox nodded. "How are you handling it?"

Fox blinked and met his friends eyes, and Falco could see that he wasn't really focused on the here and now, he seemed to be running things through his mind. "I honestly don't know. I'm still trying to process it all." he said after while. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. "Lets just get back to Krystal's fighter, and get out of here."

Falco nodded and walked over to his Arwing, the canopy opening as he neared. He leaped up into the cockpit and started up the engines. Fox jumping up and grabbing a wing edge and pulling himself up, tucking his body close to the rest of the ship and holding on with one hand. He gave Falco a thumbs up and Falco lifted the Arwing off the ground slowly, turning around and making his way towards the village.

As they flew closer, Fox looked down over the edge of the wing. He couldn't help the curse that escaped his lips as he saw what was around Krystal's fighter. As Falco brought the Arwing in for a landing next to Kursed's ship, he saw what Fox did and he popped his canopy after he landed to walk around with Fox.

All the mutated Cerinians, or at least, Fox assumed all of them, were laying around the village, some in the huts, some in the street, and a lot in front of the stairs that led to the palace. Falco covered Fox while he bent down and checked the pulses of a few of the Cerinians.

He stood up from the last one and dusted his hands off. "Dead, all of them." He shook his head sadly while he followed Falco towards Krystal's ship.

Falco spoke up as they reached the ship and Fox ducked underneath the ship towards the rear hatch. "How do you think it happened?"

Fox's voice was muffled "I have no idea, I'm hoping Krystal will when she wakes up."

When the ladder dropped to the ground Falco raised an eyebrow. "How did you know the code?"

Fox paused with his foot on the ladder. "I saw everything Falco, all her memories as Kursed, I watched her buy this ship, and I saw her set the codes to open it and disable the fail-safes." Fox glanced at Falco. "I'll see you on the ship Falco." With that Fox climbed up into the ship and moved towards the cockpit. Falco nodded and ran over to his Arwing, hopping in and lifting the ship off the ground. He waited for Fox to get Krystal's ship started. When Fox lifted her ship into the air next to his, Falco led the way into space towards the _Great Fox_.

When they reached the ship, Fox put the ship down on the same landing pad that Krystal had put it on when she had first come aboard. He shut the ship down and made for the exit in the rear. He glanced around once more at the darkened ship before he climbed down the ladder.

* * *

Krystal sighed as she sat down in her seat. She ran her eyes over the controls of her craft and frowned at the thoughts that were running through her head. Here she was, back on the Great Fox, and even after everything that had happened on the trip to Cerinia, and on the planet itself, she was still running away. At least both parties were to blame this time. Him for what he said, and her for listening. Krystal scoffed softly as she reached forward and started the ship. So be it, he wanted her gone, she was gone, and this time, she wouldn't look back.

"_So why haven't I left yet? It's what we both want after all..."_

Krystal stared at her hand on the flight sticks, her thumb along the throttle slider that would lift her ship off the ground. All she needed to do was flick her thumb up and she would be gone, and allowed to slip back into Kursed, forget everything she had just done and go back to bounty hunting again.

A few minutes passed, and she was still glaring at her hand with hard eyes like it was her hands fault for not letting her leave. She growled softly and flung herself back in her seat as she let go of the flight sticks, crossing her arms and closing eyes as she thought about what had taken place when she had woken up a week ago.

* * *

"_I know I'm not dead, if I was dead, my head wouldn't be pounding right now, and my body wouldn't feel like it had just been tossed around inside a bag of rocks a few times. I should try and do something, I need to see where I am, make sure..." _She tried to open her eyes but the blinding lights above her immediately sent scything bolts of pain right into her head. She moaned softly and screwed her eyes shut as she waited for the pain to pass.

A soft voice spoke up from her right. "Kursed?"

"_Kursed? ...no...that's not my name...not anymore..."_

The voice spoke up again, "...Krystal?"

Her mind made the connection right then. _"Fox..."_

Krystal squinted her eyes and moaned again as she tried to tilt her head away from the light. "Oh, sorry. Give me a second, I'll fix that." She heard footsteps walk across the room and the beep of a control panel and the lights faded into darkness. Krystal sighed softly and opened her eyes the rest of the way, turning her head to see Fox standing in the shadows by the door, his hand still reaching out to touch the control panel. "How's that?" he asked softly, his voice just barely carrying across the room.

Krystal tried to speak but all that came out was a dry rasp. She swallowed a few times and tried again. "Better." she said quietly, her voice rough from disuse. Fox walked over towards the bed slowly and pulled over a stool, sitting down just out of her reach and clasping his hands in front of his face while he stared at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice starting to sound more like herself. She blinked as she realized something, her hand moving up to her throat. "Wait..."

"I turned it off, or rather, I had ROB remove it, it got damaged by something and was just a useless lump on your vocal cords." He shrugged, his hands still clasped in front of his face. "Sorry."

Krystal frowned, she tried to reach out with her mind to see what was up, but her head still hurt too much for her to be able to concentrate. She decided to try and read him through the bond, but found that she couldn't feel that either. She tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. "What happened? What's wrong that you're staring at me like that?"

Fox was silent for a moment. "You did it, you saved Cerinia, and in the process I saw your entire life as Kursed." Krystal winced and Fox changed subject suddenly. "Falco and Katt have a running bet for when you were going to wake up." Krystal looked at him again, and Fox continued before she could ask. "We're in orbit above Corneria. You spent the entire trip passed out from what ever happened on the other side of that wall. Falco wanted to fly you down to the medical center in Corneria City, but I decided to just see if you would wake up here." He paused for a moment, and inhaled. "As for what's wrong...how about we start with the part where you faked your death and hid from me for almost _eight _years."

Krystal glanced away, unable to stare at the hurt in his eyes. "Fox I-"

Fox started talking again, quieting her. "I could almost forgive you doing what you did, faking your death. Seeing it from your point of view, I can see the sense in what you did." Krystal glanced at him, and watched his eyes harden, when he started speaking again, his voice was hard. "What I can't forget is that fact that you didn't tell me about it. What I can't forgive is that you didn't tell me what you were feeling all those years ago. What will never fade is the pain I felt as I tried to cope with the loss." Fox paused, and sighed as he stared at the ceiling. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and had lost the hard tone. "Does that work for what's wrong?"

Krystal watched and waited for him to look back down and meet her eyes. When he did she spoke up. "Fox, I know that I hurt you, I get that you're angry with me. I don't blame you, but-"

Fox stood up and Krystal fell silent. "Don't even try to make excuses Krystal. Not now, not after all this." He walked around to the end of her bed and stood with his back facing her. "You know, I felt guilty for falling in love with Kursed. I really did, I wondered if you were up there watching somewhere. Turns out, you _were _watching me, just as Kursed." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Did it amuse you, to see me after all this time, to show back up and let me fall in love with you again?"

Krystal tried to sit up. "Fox I never-"

Fox just raised a hand and she fell quiet again "I'll admit I'm not the most clear headed right now. When you died on the other side of the wall, and I realized just how stupid I had been, all I could think of was getting through that wall, and getting you in my arms again. But now, that I've had time to process all this on the trip back." He turned around and looked at her again. "I almost can't stand to look at you right now. I thought I knew you, turns out I knew nothing about you, nothing about how you act."

Krystal blinked and felt tears building up. Fox sighed and shook his head. "Now I made you cry..." He trailed off and Krystal watched as he walked back over to the stool and sat down. His head was hanging into his hands and he was quiet for a long while before he spoke up. "Do you remember when we talked about Bonds?" he didn't wait for her to answer. "You told me what you saw of others when they lost their mate...when their Bonds were broken..." he trailed off and raised his head, locking eyes with her. "I thought I felt bad when I realized you had left all those years ago, but it was nothing compared to the pain and feelings that dominated me when you died back there." Tears were freely running down into his fur as he stared at Krystal. "I can't feel you anymore in my head Krystal, and I don't know if that's a good thing or bad."

"Fox..." Krystal started again. "Fox, I'm so sorry for what I did to you, I realized a while ago what a mistake that was. I wanted to tell you who I was, I should have, it's just that, I was scared of how you would react, I can't blame you for being angry with me, but I hope you can forgive me."

Fox was silent for a moment, the tears still running out of his eyes as he blinked at her. "Let me just ask you one thing then." Krystal nodded and Fox continued. "If you went back to the past and could do it all over again, would you? Would you run away and become Kursed?"

Krystal was silent for a long time, her eyes still locked with Fox's. After ten minutes of silence, tears started to flow from her own eyes and Fox knew the answer before she voiced it. "...Yes...Yes I would...being Kursed...It changed me, some for the better, and some for the worst, but I don't regret it." She paused and sighed, looking down at the bed spread and finally breaking eye contact. "I just regret not telling you about it."

Fox nodded. "I see..." He trailed off and stood up, wiping his eyes to make sure they were clear of tears before he moved back to the door. He paused by the exit and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Fill out a report about everything that happened that I can use when I brief Peppy." He paused again, he sighed softly, then reached into his pocket and tossed something at her that landed on her chest. before he turned back to the hallway. When he spoke next, his voice was hard "Then I want you off my ship, and I never want to see you again." Before she could respond to those cold words, Fox stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving her in the dark of the Med-bay.

Krystal reached down and picked up the small golden chain that had landed on her chest, a golden band was strung through the links and even though it was dark in the room, Krystal could still make out the initials on the inside of the ring. The etched letters seemed to pull light out of nowhere and glint accusingly at her, Krystal closed her palm around the ring and held it against her chest, hoping Fox would come back into her room.

He never came back to see her.

Katt stopped in once to see how she was, and to tell her that Falco was too confused about all this right now. But otherwise Krystal was left to stew in her own thoughts. Confused and hurt by the feelings that she could feel being released on the ship, Krystal took Fox's last words to heart. Focusing on working up to her full strength so that as soon as she was able, she would be able to leave and get back to being who she was. If she could just get away from Fox and all of the drama of Lylat, she felt like she would be alright, there were bounties to collect after all, not just in Lylat, but in other systems as well. By the end of the week, her face was cold and hard again, she locked away her emotions and let them stew, her only thoughts being on getting her body back up to full strength. She would just hang around long enough to make sure that she got that clean slate from Peppy, then Fox would never have to worry about seeing her again. She would make sure of it.

* * *

"_And yet..."_

Krystal was still sitting in her seat, staring at the controls, she knew that up on the bridge, Fox was giving a holographic briefing to Peppy and answering any questions he had about the report that Fox had already given him. She knew that he had filed the report since she had already received an alert on her ships on board computer from Peppy that she was free to go about her business, but to keep her nose clean.

She sighed as she reached out to take the flight sticks in her hand, only to have that same feeling from before stop her from going any further then that. She reached out to try and feel for Fox, but like she had discovered after their conversation in the Med-bay, their Bond was well and truly broke. All she could sense from him was what he was broadcasting up on the bridge. A burning feeling of disappointment, duty, and some sadness, tinged with regret.

She stood up and walked over to the small section of her ship that housed her room. She glanced at her staff briefly before dropping to her knees in front of the chest that held her clothes. She unlocked it and lifted the lid up, pulling out the various drawers that folded inside keeping her clothes organized. She reached down to the bottom and picked at the corner with one of her claws, catching the small hole and lifting the dusty false bottom out of the chest and laying it next to her.

She looked down into the hidden compartment in the chest and reached for the items inside. The first thing she pulled out was the wrapped package of clothes that she laid out next to her on the floor before she undid the bundle and revealed her last set of clothes that she had worn on Cerinia. The white cloth that just barely passed for a swim suit in Lylat had been something standard for her to wear at all times of the year on Cerinia. She rubbed a finger over the cloth remembering when she first got the clothes from her mother.

Next she pulled out a small box the rattled gently as she set it down on the ground, she flipped the catch and lifted the lid, letting the gems and arm bands that she had been wearing when she left all those years ago glint dimly in the light from her cabin. She reached back into the chest and pulled out various other nick-knacks that she had collected over the years she had spent in Lylat as Krystal, taking a moment to gaze at each one and remember different times, happier times. As she set the various things around her, she formed a circle of her past life, and she paused before she reached back into the chest and pulled out a small wrapped frame.

She carefully unwrapped the picture frame and set it down in front of her. The picture was still clear as day thanks to its plastic coating, and Krystal picked up the picture and flipped it over, staring at the neat little writing on the back, that was perfectly legible, yet still looked like a hasty scrawl that covered the white space.

"_Hey Krystal, please don't be mad, but I was on Sauria for a Job and I saw you and Fox sneak off to escape Tricky's party, and I don't blame you. Anyway, I followed you, and it looked like you guys were having a private moment, but when I saw the sun start to set, it just was so beautiful looking with you two there, I had to take a picture, I only made two copies, this one, and one that I'm going to sneak into Fox's things before I leave. You're welcome. _

_ Love _– _Katt"_

Krystal set the frame back down in front of her, then she reached underneath her shirt and pulled out the gold chain that Fox had given her before he left the Med-Bay a week ago. She held the small golden band tight in her fist as she closed her eyes and slipped into a meditative state, praying to the gods for guidance.

She stayed that way for a few moments before she sighed. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly

"_Simple, you asked for guidance, here I am."_

Krystal opened her eyes and turned her head to look at 'Marcus' who was suddenly sitting next to her. "I meant what are you doing _here_ in Lylat, shouldn't you be trapped on Cerinia or something? Besides, I prayed to the gods, not to ghosts who go around wearing the skin of my dead father."

'Marcus' nodded. _"Normally, you would be right, but Cerinia's core pulses with a surge of suppressed power. All thanks to you of course, so I'm capable of reaching you even out here in Lylat. As for praying to the Gods, what makes you think I'm not in contact with them, maybe they sent me in their steed? Did you ever think of that?" _'Marcus' grinned at Krystal as she growled softly in her throat and frowned at him.

She shook her head "Fine then, guide me."

'Marcus' just laughed. _"Has it ever been that simple? The only thing I come bearing is some advice." _'Marcus' paused and waved at the circle of mementos from her past life. _"You already know what you _need_ to do, it's the same thing as what you _want_ to do. You're just having trouble accepting the fact that they are one and the same."_

Krystal blinked and 'Marcus' was gone. She scoffed quietly as she mumbled to herself. "That was just unhelpful in so many ways." She still paused though, and took his words to heart, turning them over in her head, and thinking about what she wanted to do.

She wanted to leave. So, why couldn't she bring herself to do it?

It struck her suddenly, she knew what she needed to do. Standing up, she left her room and went into her cockpit, sitting down at the seat and plugging in some commands into her computer before reaching for her flight sticks.

* * *

"_Why hasn't she left yet? ROB told me that she left the med bay over an hour ago."_

"Fox? Is everything okay?"

"Hmm?" Fox looked away from the viewport and turned to face the holographic projector where Peppy's form was floating.

Peppy frowned as he continued. "You've been staring out your view port this entire time, when I ask a question about your report, you took a good ten seconds to respond, if at all."

Fox sighed and sagged back into his chair. "Sorry Sir, I just have a lot on my mind."

"_No, just one thing...Did I really mean it?"_

Peppy's eyes softened, he reached forward and pressed a button on his end. "It's just Peppy right now Fox. Is there anything I can help with?"

Fox glanced out back towards the viewport, his eyes catching the movement as a ship blasted out of the hanger. He sighed softly. _"Well, shes gone, I should be happy, yet..."_

"It's about Kursed..." he started softly, Peppy didn't interrupt, just watched. "Peppy...she's...Krystal..." Peppy glanced down at the floor and was quiet for a while, long enough that Fox focused on him. "Peppy?

Peppy looked up, and when he met Fox's eyes, his were sad. "Fox...I hate to tell you this, but I long had my suspicions that Kursed was Krystal."

Fox stood up suddenly "What?! You knew?!"

Peppy shook his head. "Not until just now, like I said, I just had my suspicions, it seemed odd the Kursed just appeared around the same time you found 'Krystals' body. So I looked deeper, and it just all seemed to fit, I'm sorry for just now telling you, I should have eariler, but you had so much going on at the time, that it just...well, it eventually faded from my mind. I didn't start thinking about it again until Cerinia showed up."

Fox shook his head. "Peppy...I...I need some time, do you mind if we pick this up tomorrow?"

Peppy sighed, but he nodded. "Alright, I'll come up to the _Great Fox _tomorrow, then we can finish this talk in private." Peppy faded from view and Fox walked over to the viewport, starting out into space, most of his view was obstructed by the low atmosphere dock that the _Great Fox _was currently sitting in, but Fox wasn't paying attention to the view, his mind was busy with other thoughts.

There was knock on the door that led up from the stairs. Fox sighed and called out. "Falco, just, leave me alone, I need some time to think."

The knock came again, then the door slid open. Fox shook his head and spoke up again. "Falco-"

"Even if Falco was the one who knocked, he wouldn't have listened anyway."

Fox paused and turned around slowly. "What are you doing here?"

Krystal put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You have to ask?"

Fox locked gazes with her. "I saw your ship leave."

Krystal gave a small nod. "Autopilot, it's gone out towards one of my old camps, I've left some things with a few 'friends' of mine, and they'll load up the ship before sending it back. But that's not important."

Fox crossed his arms and leaned back up against the viewport. "Then what is?"

Krystal held up her left arm, her fist closed around the gold chain that the ring hung from and glinted softly in the lights of the bridge. "This."

Fox scoffed "Till death do us part Krystal?"

Krystal took a few steps closer, throwing the ring up into the air and catching it in her palm. "Technically, I died." she was quiet for a moment. "I'm not talking about when I became Kursed either. I died in that cave on Cerinia, Fox. I should have gone on, and been done with all of this, but I came back. Do you know why?" Fox said nothing, just stared at the ground, so Krystal continued. "Because, you never give up on anything. Not even me, not after what you knew. You called me back from the abyss." She was silent for a moment. "We both said things we didn't mean, recently, as well as eight years ago. I think its time we get those cleared up."

Krystal tossed the ring at Fox, who looked up just in time to catch it. "I don't want this." he said softly.

Krystal shook her head. "I don't want it either, not yet. I ran away once Fox, and I considered running this time. But here's the thing." Krystal locked eyes with Fox. "I'm not like that anymore, I fight for what I want."

Fox was silent for a full minute before he asked. "What do you want?" he asked quietly

Krystal moved forward, placing her hands on his shoulder and keeping him pinned against the wall. "I want you, and I want that ring, and I want this to be a new start. Forget the past, forget our mistakes, lets just...try again."

Fox glanced down at the ring. "Try again?" He pocked the chain and looked up. "Just like that?"

Krystal shrugged. "Why not?"

Fox blinked "If I say no?"

Krystal just grinned and kissed him forcefully, when she pulled back, her grin had turned feral. "Then I'll fight for what I want."

Fox closed his eyes and looked away from Krystal. "Fine. Stay then, and...we'll see how things go..."

* * *

_End of Act 1_

* * *

_**Crap ending Right? I'm sorry, I guess the number 13 is really unlucky, that I've never actually been good an ending stories. You shold review and tell me what you thought.**_

_**I'm sure there are a lot of plot holes and stuff that I still have to fill, plus that whole Act 1 thing that I bet a lot of your are wondering about. But first, got to take that time for Guest Reviews!**_

_**JackLinks: Yay Chalk! Best flavor ever, also, I try not to stress, but its just the way I am, I just feel like this chapter is not going to satisfy you guys in anyway, like I've let you down. I did enjoy writing it though, I always do.**_

_**Blake O'Donnell: [hands you jaw] here, I think you dropped this. Also, in that question I meant the update for chapter 12. Seeing what all happened in it. As for leaving people hanging, I do try not to, but...Well, at least there is some closure for now right?**_

_**Guest: Glad you love it, as for you update, here, and now.**_

_**Right, Act 1, so, about chapter seven or so,I realized that I had this huge arc plotted for Fox and Krystal rebuilding their relationship and what not, but I didn't have enough of the arc with Cerinina to fit it all with out padding it with dumb things. So, I decided that I would make this a three act story, each act focusing on a different part of the rebuilding. The First Act, as you can tell by the last chapter name, was about finding out the Truth about Kursed, and the Second Act will be a focus on them getting to know each other again, Fox with getting used to this more aggressive Krystal who wants to start again, and Krystal with this colder Fox, hurt by what he sees as the ultimate betrayal.**_

_**Well, that's the general plan anyway, we'll see what happens. **_

_**So...Before I go drop dead like a log on my bed, Just some things for you all to mull over...**_

_**Since my last update, Dead Planet has gotten over 800 hits, also 14 reviews in the first twenty four hours. So, damn, awesome. I love you all to bits for this, and as is the normal, something for you here ahead. **_

_**Enjoy, then review, I suppose I'll let that decide what happens with this story. If I continue it or not, or if you all want it to just end like this.**_

* * *

It was the shrill alarm that woke him.

It wasn't an warning alarm or anything, it was just his alarm clock, waking him up early so that he could get ready for the day. Fox McCloud reached up and rubbed his forehead gently as he rolled over in bed, his arm flailing about for a moment before it located his wooden nightstand, and the screeching box on top of it. As his paw located the snooze button and quieted the alarm, Fox groaned and rolled over again, burying his muzzle into his pillow and try and get a few more minutes of sleep.

A female voice spoke up. "Well, I never thought I would see the day, a lazy Fox McCloud." there was a pause, then the voice continued coyly. "Whatever could have happened to bring this about?"

Despite how tired he was, and how close he was to drifting off again, Fox couldn't help but grin into the fabric of his pillow. He didn't bother to move when he spoke, so his voice was muffled as he answered the question. "As if you don't know, since you're the cause."

The voice was shocked. "_Me?_ Why, what could you mean by that?"

Fox turned his head, the grin still plastered on his face as he took in the cobalt vixen laying next to him. She was flat on her stomach, like Fox, but she had kicked off her end of the covers and her legs were waving gently back and forth through the air, with her tail resting up over her shoulder. Her hair was loose and flowed around her face as she grinned at Fox, and she all she had on was her black bra and panties.

Fox's grin turned playful to match her tone. "You know damn well what I mean by that."

Krystal made a surprised face and covered her mouth with one hand. "Hmm, you know, I think I might know something about that."

* * *

_**Also, Tales of Xilla is awesome, if any of you are JRPG lovers and have a PS3, you're only hurting yourselves by not playing this game. That and Dragons Crown.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


End file.
